Romag Fasteners Inc. v. Fossil Inc.
U.S. Supreme Court · decided April 23, 2020 · Supreme Court Database (Spaeth)
- Decided
- April 23, 2020
- Term
- October Term 2019
- Vote
- 9–0
- Majority author
- Justice Gorsuch
- Issue area
- Economic Activity
- Disposition
- Vacated and remanded
- Outcome
- Petitioning party won
- Ideological direction
- Conservative
Opinion excerpt
(Slip Opinion) OCTOBER TERM, 2019 1 Syllabus NOTE: Where it is feasible, a syllabus (headnote) will be released, as is being done in connection with this case, at the time the opinion is issued. The syllabus constitutes no part of the opinion of the Court but has been prepared by the Reporter of Decisions for the convenience of the reader. See United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co., 200 U. S. 321 , 337. SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES Syllabus ROMAG FASTENERS, INC. v. FOSSIL GROUP, INC., FKA FOSSIL, INC., ET AL. CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FEDERAL CIRCUIT No. 18–1233. Argued January 14, 2020—Decided April 23, 2020 Romag Fasteners, Inc., and Fossil, Inc., signed an agreement to use Ro- mag’s fasteners in Fossil’s leather goods. Romag eventually discovered that factories in China making Fossil products were using counterfeit Romag fasteners. Romag sued Fossil and certain retailers of Fossil products (collectively, Fossil) for trademark infringement pursuant to 15 U. S. C. §1125 (a). Relying on Second Circuit precedent, the district court rejected Romag’s request for an award of profits, because the jury, while finding that Fossil had acted callously, rejected Romag’s accusation that Fossil had acted willfully. Held: A plaintiff in a trademark infringement suit is not required to show that a defendant willfully infringed the plaintiff’s…
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