Franchisee’s Trademark Use After Termination Of Agreement Is Not Counterfeiting

Mealey's (April 29, 2019, 9:58 AM EDT) -- SANTA ANA, Calif. — A federal judge in California on April 25 entered default judgment in favor of two franchisors on their claims for trademark infringement, false designation of origin, breach of franchise agreement, breach of sublease and unfair competition, but found that they could not prevail on their claims for trademark counterfeiting based on the franchisee’s use of the trademark after the termination of the franchise agreement (Meineke Franchisor SPV LLC, et al. v. Sharif Atta, No. SACV-18-1205-JVS, C.D. Calif., 2019 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 70085)....