NY Scaffolding Company Sues Rival for Patent, Trade Dress Theft

A New York City business that won a city-sponsored contest for a next-generation scaffold in 2010 alleged that a rival started ripping off its patented design a dozen years later, according to a complaint filed Wednesday.

Urban Intelligence Inc. makes the Urban Umbrella, whose white pillars and sheds contrast with the hunter green color that all other sidewalk sheds installed in the city must use under a city law that specifically doesn’t apply to “a model whose prototype won a design competition recognized by the city.” In addition to this exemption, the company owns a design patent—US Patent D958,412—issued ...