Case: Trademarks & Copyrights/Pleadings (11th Cir.)

The Eleventh Circuit affirmed a federal district court in Arizona’s dismissal of an individual’s copyright and trademark infringement claims arising from Wahl Clipper Corp.’s use of the phrase “pet friendly” in marketing its electric hair clippers. The court found that the individual didn’t allege ownership of a registered trademark, and that he failed to demonstrate that “pet-friendly” was a distinct term, or consumer confusion. And the court said that the individual never registered the phrase with the Copyright Office.