USA Weightlifting Beats Suit Brought by ‘Masters’ Splinter Group

USA Weightlifting Inc. convinced a federal judge that a splinter organization seeking to govern “masters” competitions for athletes over 35 infringes its trademark—and that the mark isn’t generic.

USA Masters Weightlifting Inc. failed to produce evidence showing consumers perceive “USA Weightlifting” as a term describing a class of product rather than an organization, the US District Court for the Southern District of New York said.

The court also found USA Masters Weightlifting’s bad faith “clear beyond any genuine dispute,” as its principals formed a competing entity in secret and hijacked its trademark and social media pages.

The opinion by Judge ...