Drone Racing League Trademark Suit Flies Toward Trial

A trademark dispute between two drone racing businesses will go forward because there’s a thin but plausible claim of customer confusion, a federal judge ruled Nov. 26.

Both the Drone Racing League Inc., and DR1 LLC are “similarly engaged in the business of conducting and promoting drone races,” the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York said. DRL says DR1’s logo is too similar to its own registered trademark and has caused actual marketplace confusion.

DRL points to various incidents where individuals in the market place have confused DRL for DR1, and vice versa.

DR1 doesn’t dispute ...