Whirlpool’s Injunction in Stand Mixer Case Appealed to Justices

A Chinese company accused of selling trade-dress infringing Whirlpool Corp. KitchenAid mixer look-alikes asked the Supreme Court to hold that courts must consider personal jurisdiction before issuing injunctions.

Shenzen Sanlida Electrical Co.'s assets were wrongly frozen without it having been properly served Whirlpool’s complaint, its petition said. The high court has previously held that a court can freeze property “once personal jurisdiction of a party is obtained,” but mere notice of the suit doesn’t suffice to establish jurisdiction, it argued.

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit’s ruling was “dangerous,” Shenzen Sanlida told justices, because it lets courts ...