ANGELA VIDAL, ESQ. Attorney at Law 201 Strykers Road Suite 19-155 Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865 (908)884-1841 telephone (908)859-3201 facsimile Attorney for Plaintiff, Kinekt Design, LLC UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY KINEKT DESIGN, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. ARNOLD VAGTS, Defendants. CIVIL CASE NO. VERIFIED COMPLAINT COMPLAINT FOR PATENT, TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT Plaintiff, Kinekt Design, LLC, a New Jersey limited liability corporation, by and through its attorney, by way of Verified Complaint against the Defendant, Arnold Vagts, says as follows: JURISDICTION AND VENUE 1. This i s an action for patent, trademark and copyright infringement, injunctive relief and damages pursuant t o 15 U.S.C. §1114, 15 U.S.C. §1125, 35 U.S.C. §271, et seq. and 17
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ANGELA VIDAL, ESQ. A t t o r n e y a t Law 201 S t r y k e r s Road S u i t e 19-155 P h i l l i p s b u r g , New Jersey 08865 (908)884-1841 t e l e p h o n e (908)859-3201 f a c s i m i l e A t t o r n e y f o r P l a i n t i f f , K i n e k t Design, LLC
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT DISTRICT OF NEW JERSEY
KINEKT DESIGN, LLC,
P l a i n t i f f ,
vs.
ARNOLD VAGTS,
Defendants.
CIVIL CASE NO.
VERIFIED COMPLAINT
COMPLAINT FOR PATENT, TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
P l a i n t i f f , K i n e k t Design, LLC, a New Jersey l i m i t e d
l i a b i l i t y c o r p o r a t i o n , by and t h r o u g h i t s a t t o r n e y , by way o f
V e r i f i e d Complaint a g a i n s t t h e Defendant, A r n o l d Vagts, says as
f o l l o w s :
JURISDICTION AND VENUE
1. T h i s i s an a c t i o n f o r p a t e n t , trademark and c o p y r i g h t
i n f r i n g e m e n t , i n j u n c t i v e r e l i e f and damages p u r s u a n t t o 15
U.S.C. §1114, 15 U.S.C. §1125, 35 U.S.C. §271, e t seq. and 17
U.S.C. 501, e t seq. Su b j e c t m a t t e r j u r i s d i c t i o n i s t h e r e f o r e
c o n f e r r e d upon t h i s Court p u r s u a n t t o t h e p r o v i s i o n s o f 28
U.S.C. §1331 and 28 U.S.C. §1338.
2. T h i s Court has p e r s o n a l j u r i s d i c t i o n over t h e Defendant
because Defendant d i r e c t s h i s business a c t i v i t i e s t o w a r d s , and
conduct business w i t h , consumers w i t h i n t h i s j u d i c i a l d i s t r i c t
and t h e p r o d u c t s t h a t are t h e s u b j e c t o f t h i s a c t i o n were, and
c o n t i n u e t o be, s o l d t o consumers i n t h e S t a t e o f New Jersey.
3. Venue i s p r o p e r i n t h i s j u d i c i a l d i s t r i c t under 28
U.S.C. §1391, as a s u b s t a n t i a l p a r t o f t h e events g i v i n g r i s e t o
th e c l a i m s o c c u r r e d i n t h i s d i s t r i c t , Defendant has s o l d , and
c o n t i n u e s t o s e l l , p r o d u c t s t h a t i n f r i n g e upon P l a i n t i f f ' s
p a t e n t and trademark w i t h i n t h i s d i s t r i c t , Defendant conducts
i n f r i n g i n g a c t i v i t i e s and causes harm w i t h i n t h i s d i s t r i c t and
the p r o p e r t y t h a t i s t h e s u b j e c t o f t h i s a c t i o n , t h e p a t e n t , t h e
trademark and t h e c o p y r i g h t , are s i t u a t e d i n t h i s d i s t r i c t .
THE PATENT, TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT
4. On June 7, 2011, t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Patent and Trademark
O f f i c e d u l y and l e g a l l y i s s u e d U n i t e d S t a t e s Patent No. D639,199
( h e r e i n a f t e r r e f e r r e d t o as t h e " P a t e n t " ) t o Glen Liberman and
Ben Hopson f o r t h e d e s i g n o f an ornamental gear r i n g
( h e r e i n a f t e r r e f e r r e d t o as t h e "Gear Ring®"). Mr. Hopson
assig n e d a l l r i g h t , t i t l e and i n t e r e s t t o t h e Patent t o K i n e k t
Design, LLC. A p h o t o g r a p h i c exemplar o f t h e Gear Ring® i s
a t t a c h e d h e r e t o as " E x h i b i t A" and t h e Patent i s a t t a c h e d h e r e t o
as " E x h i b i t B."
5. P l a i n t i f f has p l a c e d a n o t i c e o f s a i d Patent on
m a r k e t i n g and o t h e r i n f o r m a t i o n a l m a t e r i a l r e l a t e d t o t h e Gear
Ring®.
6. P l a i n t i f f has an a d d i t i o n a l u t i l i t y p a t e n t pending f o r
th e Gear Ring® ( R o t a t i o n a l e d u c a t i o n e n t e r t a i n m e n t and
t h e r a p e u t i c d e v i c e ) , which has r e c e i v e d n o t i c e o f p u b l i c a t i o n o f
a p p l i c a t i o n f r o m t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Patent and Trademark O f f i c e .
7. On June 12, 2011, t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Patent and
Trademark O f f i c e d u l y and l e g a l l y i s s u e d trademark R e g i s t r a t i o n
Number 4157820 t o K i n e k t Design, LLC f o r t h e Gear Ring®
( h e r e i n a f t e r r e f e r r e d t o as t h e "Trademark") . On May 1, 2012,
th e U n i t e d S t a t e s Patent and Trademark O f f i c e a l s o d u l y and
l e g a l l y i s s u e d trademark R e g i s t r a t i o n Number 4134362 t o K i n e k t
Design, LLC f o r "Kinekt®". " K i n e k t " has a l s o been s u b m i t t e d f o r
Customs and Border P a t r o l p r o t e c t i o n under CBP R e c o r d a t i o n
Number TMK 12-00693.
8. P l a i n t i f f has a l s o s u b m i t t e d t h e Gear Ring® r e g i s t e r e d
trademark t o t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s Customs and Border P r o t e c t i o n
("CBP"), I n t e l l e c t u a l P r o p e r t y R i g h t s Branch, and was as s i g n e d
CBP R e c o r d a t i o n Number TMK-12-00687 e f f e c t i v e J u l y 6, 2012, as
3
w e l l as s u b m i t t e d t h e Gear Ring® mark and t h e Kinekt® mark
pur s u a n t t o t h e WIPO Ma d r i d P r o t o c o l .
9. On August 31, 2012, P l a i n t i f f o b t a i n e d a r e g i s t e r e d
c o p y r i g h t , R e g i s t r a t i o n Number TX0007566733, t h r o u g h t h e U n i t e d
S t a t e s C o p y r i g h t O f f i c e o f a l l t h e c o n t e n t c o n t a i n e d on
Kinektdesign.com ( h e r e i n a f t e r r e f e r r e d t o as t h e " C o p y r i g h t " ) ,
which i n c l u d e s images o f t h e Gear Ring®.
10. P l a i n t i f f has f o l l o w e d each and eve r y l e g a l avenue
a v a i l a b l e t o i t t o p r o t e c t i t s i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y r i g h t s .
THE PARTIES
11. P l a i n t i f f , K i n e k t Design, LLC ( h e r e i n a f t e r r e f e r r e d t o
as " K i n e k t " o r t h e " P l a i n t i f f " ) i s a l i m i t e d l i a b i l i t y company
o f t h e S t a t e o f New Jersey w i t h i t s p r i n c i p a l p l a c e o f business
l o c a t e d a t 184 South L i v i n g s t o n Avenue, S u i t e 9-239, L i v i n g s t o n ,
New Jersey 07039.
12. Defendant, A r n o l d Vagts, i s an i n d i v i d u a l t h a t has
been p u r c h a s i n g c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s f r o m a f a c t o r y
i n China and t h e n a d v e r t i s i n g , m a r k e t i n g , o f f e r i n g f o r s a l e ,
s e l l i n g and d i s t r i b u t i n g t h e s e c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s i n t h e U n i t e d
S t a t e s and i n t h i s j u d i c i a l d i s t r i c t , i n v i o l a t i o n o f K i n e k t ' s
P a t e n t , Trademark and C o p y r i g h t .
FACTS COMMON TO ALL COUNTS
13. P l a i n t i f f has expended a s i g n i f i c a n t amount o f t i m e ,
money and o t h e r r e s o u r c e s t o develop, produce, a d v e r t i s e and
o t h e r w i s e promote t h e Gear Ring® and has t a k e n any and a l l
steps necessary t o p r o t e c t i t s r i g h t s and i n t e r e s t s i n and t o
th e Gear Ring®, b o t h i n t h i s c o u n t r y and i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y .
P l a i n t i f f has e x t e n s i v e l y marketed and promoted t h e Gear Ring®
f o r many years and each and every Gear Ring® p r o d u c t , as w e l l as
a l l p r o m o t i o n a l m a t e r i a l s , advise- o f t h e f a c t t h a t t h e Gear Ring
i s p r o t e c t e d by t h e Patent and Trademark, and P l a i n t i f f ' s
w e b s i t e c l e a r l y i n d i c a t e s t h a t a l l Gear Ring® images are
p r o t e c t e d by t h e C o p y r i g h t .
14. P l a i n t i f f i s a s m a l l , s t a r t - u p company se e k i n g t o grow
i t s b u s i n e s s based on i t s i n g e n u i t y i n i n v e n t i n g t h e Gear Ring®,
as w e l l as i t s e x p e n d i t u r e o f s i g n i f i c a n t r e s o u r c e s t o p r o t e c t
i t s i n v e n t i o n , b u t has t h u s f a r , f a i l e d t o reach i t s f u l l
b u s i n e s s p r o f i t p o t e n t i a l because o f c o n s t a n t u n l a w f u l c o p y i n g
o f P l a i n t i f f ' s d e s i g n and name, m a n u f a c t u r i n g o f c o u n t e r f e i t
p r o d u c t s which d u p l i c a t e P l a i n t i f f s p a t e n t e d d e s i g n , and s a l e s
o f c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s .
15. P l a i n t i f f has been u s i n g t h e Gear Ring® mark i n
i n t e r s t a t e commerce t o i d e n t i f y and d i s t i n g u i s h P l a i n t i f f s
p r o d u c t and t h e mark has never been as s i g n e d o r l i c e n s e d t o any
t h i r d p a r t y . P l a i n t i f f p r i d e s i t s e l f on i t s use o f h i g h q u a l i t y
m a t e r i a l s and a t t e n t i o n t o d e t a i l i n t h e manufacture o f t h e Gear
Ring®, and because o f i t s uniqueness and t h e s u p e r i o r q u a l i t y o f
the m a t e r i a l s used t o c o n s t r u c t t h e Gear Ring®, P l a i n t i f f s e l l s
t h e Gear Ring® a t a p r i c e o f One Hundred S i x t y - F i v e D o l l a r s
($165.00) per r i n g .
16. U n f o r t u n a t e l y , o t h e r i n d i v i d u a l s and e n t i t i e s have
d i s c o v e r e d what a unique and i n t e r e s t i n g p r o d u c t t h e Gear Ring®
i s and how much o f a demand t h e r e i s f o r t h e p r o d u c t and have
d e c i d e d t o c a p i t a l i z e on P l a i n t i f f ' s e f f o r t s i n i n v e n t i n g and
d e v e l o p i n g t h e Gear Ring®. I n p a r t i c u l a r , t h e r e are s e v e r a l
f a c t o r i e s i n China t h a t have found a way t o d u p l i c a t e
P l a i n t i f f ' s p a t e n t e d Gear Ring®, u s i n g i n f e r i o r m a t e r i a l s and
shoddy c o n s t r u c t i o n . These f a c t o r i e s s e l l t h ese c o u n t e r f e i t
"gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s on t h e I n t e r n e t , o f t e n t i m e s i n batches, f o r
o n e - t e n t h (1/10) t h e c o s t o f a genuine Gear Ring®. The m a j o r i t y
o f these s a l e s t a k e p l a c e t h r o u g h t h e w e b s i t e s known as
A l i e x p r e s s . c o m and/or Alibaba.com, which are o n l i n e m a r k e t p l a c e
o r e-commerce s i t e s c a t e r i n g t o p r e d o m i n a n t l y Chinese
m a n u f a c t u r e r s . T h i r d p a r t i e s , i n t h i s case, t h e Chinese
f a c t o r i e s , p o s t and a d v e r t i s e t h e i r p r o d u c t s on A l i e x p r e s s o r
A l i b a b a , and t h e s a l e s a r e processed by t h e o p e r a t o r s o f
A l i e x p r e s s o r A l i b a b a and/or t h e i r payment p r o c e s s o r , known as
A l i p a y . The o r d e r s are t h e n f u l f i l l e d and t h e p r o d u c t s
d e l i v e r e d by t h e t h i r d p a r t i e s a d v e r t i s i n g t h e p r o d u c t s .
17. Purchasers o f these c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s ,
which were manufactured by t h e Chinese f a c t o r i e s and a d v e r t i s e d
on, and purchased from, A l i e x p r e s s and A l i b a b a , t h e n r e - s e l l t h e
c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s on U n i t e d States-based o n l i n e m a r k e t p l a c e
or e-commerce s i t e s , such as eBay, Google, C r a i g ' s L i s t , Amazon,
e t c . , f o r h a l f t h e p r i c e o f a genuine Gear Ring®. T h i s i s what
Defendant has done i n t h i s case.
18. Because o f t h e p r e v a l e n c e o f i n f r i n g e m e n t o f
P l a i n t i f f ' s p r o d u c t and t h e r e s u l t a n t damage b e i n g s u f f e r e d by
P l a i n t i f f , P l a i n t i f f i s v i g i l a n t i n s e a r c h i n g f o r u n l a w f u l
c o p y i n g o f i t s p r o d u c t d e s i g n and s a l e s o f these c o u n t e r f e i t
p r o d u c t s . P l a i n t i f f ' s f i r s t l i n e o f defense i n each i n s t a n c e i s
t o c o n t a c t t h e w e b s i t e where t h e a d v e r t i s e m e n t s o f these
c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s are l o c a t e d , prove i t i s t h e l a w f u l and
r i g h t f u l owner o f t h e P a t e n t , Trademark and C o p y r i g h t and
r e q u e s t removal o f t h e a d v e r t i s e m e n t s o f f e r i n g t h e i n f r i n g i n g
p r o d u c t s f o r s a l e . With each such r e q u e s t , P l a i n t i f f submits
p r o o f o f i t s P a t e n t , Trademark and/or C o p y r i g h t , as a p p l i c a b l e ,
and t h e w e b s i t e t y p i c a l l y i n v e s t i g a t e s t h e m a t t e r .
19. At t h e t i m e t h e w e b s i t e r e c e i v e s t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t
c o m p l a i n t f r o m P l a i n t i f f , t y p i c a l l y s u b m i t t e d t h r o u g h t h e
w e b s i t e ' s DMCA form, t h e w e b s i t e i n f o r m s t h e p a r t y t h a t i s
a l l e g e d l y c o m m i t t i n g t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t o f t h e c o m p l a i n t , t h e
b a s i s o f t h e c o m p l a i n t and by whom t h e c o m p l a i n t has been made.
The w e b s i t e g i v e s t h e o f f e n d i n g p a r t y t h e a b i l i t y t o defend
a g a i n s t t h e c l a i m e d i n f r i n g e m e n t and/or c o n t r i b u t e i n some o t h e r
manner t o t h e w e b s i t e ' s i n v e s t i g a t i o n o f t h e c o m p l a i n t .
20. The w e b s i t e w i l l t h e n v e r i f y t h a t P l a i n t i f f i s , i n
f a c t , t h e l a w f u l and r i g h t f u l owner o f t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y
a t i s s u e and n o t i f i e s t h e user c o m m i t t i n g t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t t h a t
a f t e r c o n d u c t i n g i t s i n v e s t i g a t i o n , i t has d e t e r m i n e d t h a t
P l a i n t i f f ' s i n f r i n g e m e n t c l a i m i s v a l i d and t h a t t h e
a d v e r t i s e m e n t i s b e i n g removed because o f t h e user's v i o l a t i o n
o f P l a i n t i f f ' s i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y r i g h t s . As such, on each
and every o c c a s i o n where P l a i n t i f f has s u b m i t t e d a c o m p l a i n t and
r e q u e s t e d removal o f an a d v e r t i s e m e n t , t h e i n f r i n g i n g p a r t y , i n
t h i s case, t h e Defendant, i s a d v i s e d o f t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t
c o m p l a i n t , t h e b a s i s f o r t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t c o m p l a i n t and t h e name
o f t h e p a r t y i n s t i t u t i n g t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t c o m p l a i n t .
21. There are t i m e s , however, when t h e w e b s i t e s r e f u s e t o
t a k e any a c t i o n w i t h r e s p e c t t o P l a i n t i f f s c o m p l a i n t s and/or
th e user d i s r e g a r d s P l a i n t i f f ' s r i g h t s and s i m p l y moves i t s
a d v e r t i s e m e n t t o a d i f f e r e n t w e b s i t e o r d i f f e r e n t URL on t h e
same w e b s i t e . On these o c c a s i o n s , P l a i n t i f f has been f o r c e d t o
f i l e l i t i g a t i o n t o e n f o r c e i t s r i g h t s . The f i r s t such a c t i o n
was f i l e d by P l a i n t i f f i n t h e summer o f 2011 and was c a p t i o n e d
" K i n e k t Design, LLC and Glen Liberman v. V e r l y n K e l l y Mason,"
Case No. 2 : l l - c v - 0 4 6 5 8 . P l a i n t i f f was g r a n t e d permanent
i n j u n c t i v e r e l i e f i n t h a t m a t t e r . The second case was f i l e d i n
J u l y 2012 and i s c a p t i o n e d " K i n e k t Design, LLC v. John Doe 1
a/k/a Kimber M. , e t a l s " , Case No. 2:12-cv-04549. That case i s
8
c u r r e n t l y pending and has named t h e Chinese f a c t o r i e s r e f e r e n c e d
above as Defendants. The t h i r d case was f i l e d i n August 2012
and i s c a p t i o n e d " K i n e k t Design, LLC v. Kevin A i z i c , e t a l s . " ,
Case No. 2:12-cv-05942. That case i s a l s o c u r r e n t l y pending.
22. I n l a t e J u l y 2012, P l a i n t i f f d i s c o v e r e d t h a t a user
known as " a v a g t s " was a d v e r t i s i n g a "Gear Ring" on t h e w e b s i t e
known as C r a i g s l i s t . c o m . The r i n g b e i n g o f f e r e d f o r s a l e was an
exact d u p l i c a t e o f P l a i n t i f f s p a t e n t e d Gear Ring®, and t h e
image i n c l u d e d i n t h e a d v e r t i s e m e n t was t h e c o p y r i g h t e d image
from P l a i n t i f f s w e b s i t e . A copy o f t h e screen p r i n t o f t h i s
a d v e r t i s e m e n t i s a t t a c h e d h e r e t o as " E x h i b i t C."
23. The a d v e r t i s e m e n t was a t t e m p t i n g t o pass t h e p r o d u c t
o f f as a genuine Gear Ring®, d i r e c t e d t h e v i e w e r s t o "see
K i n e k t " and o f f e r e d two (2) d i f f e r e n t s i z e s f o r s a l e . The
r e f e r e n c e t o " K i n e k t " and use o f P l a i n t i f f s c o p y r i g h t e d image
from i t s w e b s i t e r e v e a l s t h a t t h e s e l l e r was w e l l aware o f
P l a i n t i f f s i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y r i g h t s and h i s i n f r i n g e m e n t o f
such s i n c e P l a i n t i f f s w e b s i t e and a l l o t h e r m a r k e t i n g m a t e r i a l s
i n d i c a t e t h a t t h e Gear Ring® i s p r o t e c t e d by p a t e n t , trademark
and c o p y r i g h t .
24. P l a i n t i f f searched t h r o u g h i t s s a l e s r e c o r d s t o
d e t e r m i n e whether anyone w i t h t h e l a s t name "Avagts" o r "Vagts"
had ever purchased a Gear Ring® and c o u l d not f i n d any such
purchase.
9
25. P l a i n t i f f t h e r e f o r e i n i t i a t e d a c o m p l a i n t w i t h
C r a i g s l i s t . c o m a d v i s i n g t h a t t h e a d v e r t i s e m e n t by " a v a g t s " was
i n f r i n g i n g upon P l a i n t i f f ' s P a t e n t , Trademark and C o p y r i g h t by
s e l l i n g a c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t t h a t was an exact d u p l i c a t e o f
P l a i n t i f f ' s p a t e n t e d p r o d u c t , u s i n g P l a i n t i f f ' s trademarked name
t o s e l l t h e p r o d u c t , p a s s i n g t h e p r o d u c t o f f as a genuine K i n e k t
Gear Ring® and u s i n g P l a i n t i f f ' s c o p y r i g h t e d image t o do so. As
w i t h a l l such c o m p l a i n t s , C r a i g s l i s t n o t i f i e d " a v a g t s " t h a t a
c o m p l a i n t had been s u b m i t t e d by P l a i n t i f f a l l e g i n g t h a t " a v a g t s "
was i n f r i n g i n g upon P l a i n t i f f ' s P a t e n t , Trademark and C o p y r i g h t ,
and t h a t i t would be i n v e s t i g a t i n g t h e c l a i m . Upon i n f o r m a t i o n
and b e l i e f , " a v a g t s " d i d not respond i n any way t o C r a i g s l i s t ' s
n o t i f i c a t i o n .
26. C r a i g s l i s t . c o m i n v e s t i g a t e d P l a i n t i f f ' s c l a i m , found
i t t o be v a l i d and, as i s t h e p r o t o c o l when such c o m p l a i n t s are
f i l e d , a d v i s e d " a v a g t s " t h a t i t s i n v e s t i g a t i o n r e v e a l e d t h a t
" a v a g t s " was i n f r i n g i n g upon P l a i n t i f f ' s P a t e n t , Trademark
C o p y r i g h t and t h a t h i s a d v e r t i s e m e n t was b e i n g removed because
o f t h a t i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y r i g h t s i n f r i n g e m e n t .
C r a i g s l i s t . c o m t h e n removed t h e a d v e r t i s e m e n t f r o m i t s w e b s i t e
and i n i t s p l a c e , p o s t e d a n o t i c e s t a t i n g t h a t " T h i s
a d v e r t i s e m e n t has been f l a g g e d f o r removal."
27. On o r about October 3, 2012, P l a i n t i f f d i s c o v e r e d
a n o t h e r a d v e r t i s e m e n t on C r a i g s l i s t . c o m f o r a " R o t a t i n g mech
10
r i n g " . The a d v e r t i s e m e n t s t a t e d t h a t t h e r i n g was " s i m i l a r t o
www.kinektdesign.com", i n d i c a t e d t h a t t h e s e l l e r was fro m
Anaheim and i n c l u d e d a t e l e p h o n e number. The a d v e r t i s e m e n t was
s e l l i n g t h e " R o t a t i n g mech r i n g " f o r E i g h t y D o l l a r s ($80.00),
which i s l e s s t h a n h a l f t h e p r i c e o f a genuine Gear Ring®. A
copy o f the, screen p r i n t o f t h i s a d v e r t i s e m e n t i s a t t a c h e d
h e r e t o as " E k h i b i t D."
28. P l a i n t i f f keeps a r e c o r d o f a l l i n f r i n g e m e n t s and
compared t h i s t e l e p h o n e number w i t h p a s t i n s t a n c e s o f
infringement^ and d e t e r m i n e d t h a t i t was t h e same s e l l e r f r o m
J u l y 2012 /whose a d v e r t i s e m e n t was removed as a r e s u l t o f t h e
i n f r i n g e m e n t . A search o f t h e t e l e p h o n e number r e v e a l e d t h a t i t
belonged t o Defendant, A r n o l d Vagts.
29. The a d v e r t i s e m e n t ' s r e f e r e n c e t o P l a i n t i f f ' s w e b s i t e
and use o f P l a i n t i f f ' s c o p y r i g h t e d image, i n a d d i t i o n t o t h e
f a c t t h a t t h e p r i o r a d v e r t i s e m e n t had been removed due t o t h e
i n f r i n g e m e n t , evidences t h a t t h i s i n s t a n c e o f i n f r i n g e m e n t was
c l e a r l y w i l l f u l and i n t e n t i o n a l , and made w i t h f u l l knowledge o f
t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y r i g h t p r o t e c t i o n s a f f o r d e d t o
P l a i n t i f f .
30. P l a i n t i f f once a g a i n i n i t i a t e d a c o m p l a i n t w i t h
C r a i g s l i s t . c o m , t h e s e l l e r was n o t i f i e d o f t h e c o m p l a i n t as per
C r a i g s l i s t . c o m ' s p o l i c y and, a f t e r i n v e s t i g a t i o n , t h e
a d v e r t i s e m e n t was removed f o r i n f r i n g e m e n t .
11
31. S h o r t l y t h e r e a f t e r , on o r about October 10, 2012,
P l a i n t i f f d i s c o v e r e d t h a t a user s e l l i n g under t h e name
"avagl427" was a d v e r t i s i n g a " R o t a t i n g Mechanical R i n g " on t h e
w e b s i t e known as Ebay.com. Ag a i n , t h e r i n g b e i n g o f f e r e d f o r
s a l e was an exact d u p l i c a t e o f P l a i n t i f f ' s p a t e n t e d Gear Ring®,
and t h e image i n c l u d e d i n t h e a d v e r t i s e m e n t was one o f t h e
c o p y r i g h t e d images f r o m P l a i n t i f f ' s w e b s i t e . A copy o f t h e
screen p r i n t o f t h i s a d v e r t i s e m e n t i s a t t a c h e d h e r e t o as
" E x h i b i t E."
32. P l a i n t i f f c o n t a c t e d Paypal, which i s eBay.com's
payment p r o c e s s o r and where i n f r i n g e m e n t r e p o r t s on eBay.com are
d i r e c t e d , and a d v i s e d t h a t t h e s e l l e r known as "avagl427" was
i n f r i n g i n g upon P l a i n t i f f ' s Patent and C o p y r i g h t by s e l l i n g a
p r o d u c t t h a t was an exact d u p l i c a t e o f P l a i n t i f f ' s p a t e n t e d
p r o d u c t and u s i n g an image t a k e n f r o m P l a i n t i f f ' s w e b s i t e t o do
so. Paypal/eBay.com n o t i f i e d "avagl427" t h a t a c o m p l a i n t had
been s u b m i t t e d by P l a i n t i f f a l l e g i n g t h a t he was i n f r i n g i n g upon
P l a i n t i f f ' s Patent and C o p y r i g h t , and t h a t i t would be
i n v e s t i g a t i n g t h e c l a i m . I n response t o t h e n o t i f i c a t i o n from
Paypal/ebay.com, "avagl427" removed t h e c o p y r i g h t e d image, b u t
c o n t i n u e d w i t h t h e a d v e r t i s e m e n t o f t h e i n f r i n g i n g p r o d u c t and
u l t i m a t e l y s o l d t h e i n f r i n g i n g p r o d u c t f o r Seventy-One D o l l a r s
($71.00), l e s s t h a n h a l f t h e p r i c e o f a genuine Gear Ring®.
EBay.com i s an a u c t i o n - t y p e w e b s i t e and t h e a d v e r t i s e m e n t s
12
c o n t a i n e d t h e r e o n e x p i r e when t h e a u c t i o n e x p i r e s . "Avagl427"'s
a u c t i o n e x p i r e d on October 16, 2012.
33. Because eBay.com a l l o w s users t o i d e n t i f y t h e person
t o whom an account i s r e g i s t e r e d , P l a i n t i f f d i s c o v e r e d t h a t
"avagl427" was r e g i s t e r e d t o Defendant A r n o l d Vagts. P l a i n t i f f
once a g a i n r e s e a r c h e d whether any member o f t h e Vagts f a m i l y had
ever bought a Gear Ring®. P l a i n t i f f r e v i e w e d a l l i t s s a l e s
r e c o r d s s i n c e i t began s e l l i n g t h e Gear Ring® and found no
r e c o r d o f any purchase o f a Gear Ring® by A r n o l d Vagts o r anyone
e l s e w i t h t h e l a s t name o f Vagts. As such, t h e items b e i n g s o l d
i n t h e two (2) C r a i g s l i s t . c o m a d v e r t i s e m e n t s and t h e eBay.com
a d v e r t i s e m e n t were c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s .
34. At t h a t p o i n t , Defendant had been a d v i s e d on a t l e a s t
t h r e e (3) s e p a r a t e o c c a s i o n s t h a t he was i n f r i n g i n g upon
P l a i n t i f f ' s P a t e n t , Trademark and/or C o p y r i g h t , each o f h i s
C r a i g s l i s t . c o m a d v e r t i s e m e n t s had been removed as a r e s u l t o f
t h a t i n f r i n g e m e n t , he v o l u n t a r i l y removed t h e c o p y r i g h t e d image
as a r e s u l t o f t h e n o t i f i c a t i o n f r o m Paypal, b u t n e v e r t h e l e s s
c o n t i n u e d w i t h t h e s a l e o f t h e c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t i n v i o l a t i o n
o f t h e P a t e n t . Defendant was v e r y o b v i o u s l y aware o f P l a n t i f f ' s
i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y r i g h t p r o t e c t i o n s by v i r t u e o f h i s
r e f e r e n c e s t o P l a i n t i f f ' s w e b s i t e . Yet Defendant c o n t i n u e d t o
s e l l , o f f e r t o s e l l , d i s t r i b u t e , market and a d v e r t i s e h i s
13
i n f r i n g i n g p r o d u c t s i n b l a t a n t d i s r e g a r d o f t h e law and
P l a i n t i f f ' s i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y r i g h t s .
35. As a r e s u l t , on October 12, 2012, P l a i n t i f f ' s a t t o r n e y
sent a l e t t e r t o Defendant demanding t h a t he i m m e d i a t e l y cease
and d e s i s t h i s i n f r i n g i n g a c t i v i t i e s , p r o v i d e P l a i n t i f f w i t h an
a c c o u n t i n g o f any and a l l s a l e s o f t h e c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g s " ,
p r o v i d e P l a i n t i f f w i t h a l l t h e "gear r i n g s " i n h i s po s s e s s i o n ,
remove a l l p o s t i n g s a d v e r t i s i n g any "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s ,
c o n f i r m t h a t he would never a g a i n market, a d v e r t i s e , o f f e r f o r
s a l e o r o t h e r w i s e c o m m e r c i a l l y promote any "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s
and p r o v i d e P l a i n t i f f w i t h t h e name and c o n t a c t i n f o r m a t i o n o f
th e i n d i v i d u a l o r e n t i t y f r o m whom he was p u r c h a s i n g t h e
c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s .
36. Defendant responded by s t a t i n g t h a t he was never made
aware o f any i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y r i g h t s v i o l a t i o n s u n t i l eBay
c o n t a c t e d him and t h a t he was, i n f a c t , s e l l i n g genuine Gear
Rings®. He m a i n t a i n e d t h a t C r a i g s l i s t . c o m d i d n o t remove h i s
a d v e r t i s e m e n t , he s i m p l y f a i l e d t o r e - p o s t i t and, as f o r t h e
eBay a d v e r t i s e m e n t , r e i t e r a t e d t h a t he was a t t e m p t i n g t o s e l l
h i s own p e r s o n a l genuine Gear Ring® j e w e l r y .
37. Since P l a i n t i f f had res e a r c h e d on two (2) s e p a r a t e
occasions whether anyone w i t h t h e l a s t name "Vagts" had ever
purchased a Gear Ring® and c o u l d f i n d no such purchase,
Defendant's c l a i m t h a t he was s e l l i n g genuine Gear Ring® j e w e l r y
14
was o b v i o u s l y f a l s e . Furthermore, Defendant's c l a i m t h a t
C r a i g s l i s t . c o m had not i n f o r m e d him o f t h e i n t e l l e c t u a l p r o p e r t y
r i g h t s v i o l a t i o n and t h a t he had s i m p l y n o t r e p o s t e d h i s
a d v e r t i s e m e n t was a l s o f a l s e s i n c e h i s a d v e r t i s e m e n t was removed
by C r a i g s l i s t . c o m and r e p l a c e d w i t h a n o t i c e t h a t " T h i s
a d v e r t i s e m e n t i s f l a g g e d f o r removal".
38. I t appeared t h a t Defendant had a l a r g e q u a n t i t y o f
c o u n t e r f e i t gear r i n g p r o d u c t s , and t h e r e f o r e , P l a i n t i f f assumed
t h a t he was e i t h e r m a n u f a c t u r i n g t h e r i n g s o r p u r c h a s i n g them
from somewhere i n b u l k . Knowing t h a t most r e - s e l l e r s o f
c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s purchase them f r o m t h e Chinese
f a c t o r i e s a d v e r t i s i n g on A l i e x p r e s s . c o m , P l a i n t i f f r e s e a r c h e d
whether Defendant had a p r o f i l e on A l i e x p r e s s . c o m o r Alibaba.com
and whether he had ever purchased a n y t h i n g f r o m those s i t e s .
P l a i n t i f f ' s "buyer s e a r c h " f o r A r n o l d Vagts on A l i e x p r e s s . c o m
r e v e a l e d t h a t a user known as " A r n o l d V" had made s e v e r a l
purchases f r o m one o f t h e Chinese f a c t o r i e s t h a t manufactures
c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s . S p e c i f i c a l l y , on June 6,
2012, " A r n o l d V." purchased one " s t a i n l e s s s t e e l gear r i n g
r o t a t a b l e " f r o m Hui J e w e l r y House, a f a c t o r y i n China, f o r
S i x t e e n D o l l a r s and Sixty-Seven Cents ($16.67), on June 27, 2012
" A r n o l d V." purchased f o u r (4) more r i n g s f r o m Hui J e w e l r y House
f o r t h e same p r i c e p er i t e m , and on September 22, 2012, " A r n o l d
V." purchased t e n (10) more r i n g s f o r F i f t e e n D o l l a r s and
15
E i g h t y - F o u r Cents ($15.84) a p i e c e . As s t a t e d above,
Defendant's f i r s t a d v e r t i s e m e n t ( s ) f o r t h e "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s
was on o r about J u l y 17, 2012, a l i t t l e more t h a n two (2) weeks
a f t e r " A r n o l d V." purchased f i v e (5) c o u n t e r f e i t r i n g s f r o m
A l i e x p r e s s . c o m , and Defendant's second C r a i g s l i s t . c o m
a d v e r t i s e m e n t and h i s eBay.com a d v e r t i s e m e n t f o r t h e "gear
r i n g s " were i n t h e b e g i n n i n g o f October 2012, a g a i n
a p p r o x i m a t e l y two (2) weeks a f t e r " A r n o l d V." had purchased t e n
(10) c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g s " f r o m A l i e x p r e s s . c o m .
39. S h o r t l y a f t e r Defendant's a u c t i o n on eBay.com had ended
and t h e c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t shipped t o t h e s u c c e s s f u l b i d d e r ,
P l a i n t i f f r e c e i v e d an e - m a i l f r o m t h a t b i d d e r . She had r e c e i v e d
t h e r i n g f r o m Defendant and w i t h i n a few days t h e r i n g b r o k e .
B e l i e v i n g i t t o be a genuine Gear Ring®, she e-mailed K i n e k t and
r e q u e s t e d r e p a i r o r replacement o f t h e r i n g i n accordance w i t h
P l a i n t i f f ' s w a r r a n t y p o l i c y . Since t h e r e was no r e c o r d o f t h e
b i d d e r ever p u r c h a s i n g a r i n g f r o m t h e P l a i n t i f f , P l a i n t i f f
asked where she g o t t h e r i n g f r o m and she s t a t e d she won an
a u c t i o n on eBay h e l d by "avagl427." She a l s o p r o v i d e d P l a i n t i f f
w i t h an e - m a i l t h a t had been sent t o her f r o m Defendant, a/k/a
"avagl427." The b i d d e r had i n q u i r e d as t o payment and d e l i v e r y ,
and t h e response sent by Defendant s t a t e d , i n p e r t i n e n t p a r t , as
f o l l o w s : " I am h a v i n g some problems w i t h PayPal so I hope t h i s
w i l l go t h r u . The co. t h a t s e l l s t h e gear r i n g i s c o m p l a i n i n g
16
about my l i s t i n g ( I d i d not purchase them f r o m www, k i n e k t d e s i g n )
--my p r i c e i s over $100 l e s s ( c o u n t i n g t a x ) t h a n t h e i r s ! To t h e
b e s t o f my knowledge i t i s t h e i r r i n g . J u s t want t o be u p f r o n t
w i t h you on t h i s s i n c e PayPal may not accept payment."
40. Defendant t h e r e f o r e acknowledged t h a t he was s e l l i n g
t h e r i n g w i t h o u t P l a i n t i f f s a u t h o r i z a t i o n and consent and, i n
f a c t , d e s p i t e P l a i n t i f f s c o m p l a i n t r e g a r d i n g h i s i n f r i n g e m e n t .
Defendant a l s o f a l s e l y c l a i m e d t h a t " t o t h e b e s t o f h i s
knowledge", t h e r i n g was a genuine Gear Ring®, even though he
had purchased t h e r i n g f o r l e s s t h a n Twenty D o l l a r s ($20.00)
from a f a c t o r y i n China.
41. The s u c c e s s f u l b i d d e r f r o m Defendant's a u c t i o n i s a
r e s i d e n t o f t h e S t a t e o f New J e r s e y and t h e c o u n t e r f e i t "gear
r i n g " was s h i p p e d t o t h e b i d d e r i n New Jersey. Upon i n f o r m a t i o n
and b e l i e f , Defendant has s i n c e s o l d a t l e a s t one (1) more
c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g " t o a buyer i n New Jersey.
42. Defendant has been i n f r i n g i n g , and i s c o n t i n u i n g t o
i n f r i n g e , upon P l a i n t i f f ' s P atent by p u r c h a s i n g c o u n t e r f e i t
"gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s f r o m China t h r o u g h A l i e x p r e s s . c o m f o r one-
t e n t h (1/10) t h e c o s t o f P l a i n t i f f ' s genuine Gear Ring® p r o d u c t ,
and t h e n m a r k e t i n g , a d v e r t i s i n g , o f f e r i n g f o r s a l e , s e l l i n g and
d i s t r i b u t i n g t h ese c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s t h r o u g h v a r i o u s shopping
or o n l i n e m a r k e t p l a c e w e b s i t e s t o customers i n t h e U n i t e d
S t a t e s . These c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s a r e exact d u p l i c a t e s o f
17
P l a i n t i f f s p a t e n t e d Gear Ring®, and are b e i n g manufactured,
a d v e r t i s e d , marketed, s o l d and d i s t r i b u t e d w i t h o u t P l a i n t i f f s
a u t h o r i z a t i o n o r consent.
43. Defendant has a l s o been i n f r i n g i n g upon P l a i n t i f f s
Trademark by s e l l i n g , o f f e r i n g f o r s a l e , d i s t r i b u t i n g , m a r k e t i n g
and/or a d v e r t i s i n g "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s u s i n g t h e r e g i s t e r e d
"Gear Ring®" name.
44. Defendant has a l s o been i n f r i n g i n g upon P l a i n t i f f s
C o p y r i g h t by s e l l i n g , o f f e r i n g f o r s a l e , d i s t r i b u t i n g , m a r k e t i n g
and/or a d v e r t i s i n g "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s u s i n g c o p y r i g h t e d images
t a k e n f r o m P l a i n t i f f s w e b s i t e .
45. Defendant has engaged i n these i n f r i n g i n g a c t i v i t i e s
w i l l f u l l y , i n t e n t i o n a l l y and w i t h knowledge o f t h e e x i s t e n c e o f
P l a i n t i f f s P a t e n t , Trademark and C o p y r i g h t and t h e f a c t t h a t he
was c o m m i t t i n g i l l e g a l a c t s .
46. Defendant has r e c e i v e d r e p e a t e d w r i t t e n n o t i c e o f h i s
i n f r i n g e m e n t , t w i c e f r o m C r a i g ' s l i s t . c o m , once f r o m eBay.com and
once f r o m P l a i n t i f f s a t t o r n e y , and two (2) o f h i s
a d v e r t i s e m e n t s have been removed by t h e w e b s i t e s where t h e y were
p o s t e d because o f s a i d i n f r i n g e m e n t , y e t Defendant r e - p o s t e d h i s
a d v e r t i s e m e n t s and even completed a t l e a s t two (2) a d d i t i o n a l
s a l e s o f t h e c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s a f t e r h a v i n g
r e c e i v e d t h e cease and d e s i s t l e t t e r and f i n a l n o t i c e o f
i n f r i n g e m e n t f r o m P l a i n t i f f s a t t o r n e y . Defendant has
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r e p e a t e d l y i g n o r e d t h e c l a i m s o f i n f r i n g e m e n t and t h e
i n f r i n g e m e n t i s v e r y o b v i o u s l y w i l l f u l and i n t e n t i o n a l .
47. Defendant's i n f r i n g e m e n t o f t h e Patent i s i n v i o l a t i o n
o f 35 U.S.C. §271, i s w i l l f u l and d e l i b e r a t e , and upon
i n f o r m a t i o n and b e l i e f , Defendant w i l l c o n t i n u e t o i n f r i n g e on
s a i d Patent and c o n t i n u e t o cause P l a i n t i f f immediate,
c o n t i n u i n g and i r r e p a r a b l e harm u n l e s s permanently e n j o i n e d by
t h i s Court.
48. Defendant's i n f r i n g e m e n t o f t h e Trademark i s i n
v i o l a t i o n o f 15 U.S.C. §1114, i s w i l l f u l and d e l i b e r a t e , and
upon i n f o r m a t i o n and b e l i e f , Defendant w i l l c o n t i n u e t o i n f r i n g e
on s a i d Trademark and c o n t i n u e t o cause P l a i n t i f f immediate,
c o n t i n u i n g and i r r e p a r a b l e harm u n l e s s permanently e n j o i n e d by
t h i s C o u r t .
49. Defendant's i n f r i n g e m e n t o f t h e C o p y r i g h t i s i n
v i o l a t i o n o f 17U.S.C. §501, i s w i l l f u l and d e l i b e r a t e , and upon
i n f o r m a t i o n and b e l i e f , Defendant w i l l c o n t i n u e t o i n f r i n g e on
s a i d C o p y r i g h t and c o n t i n u e t o cause P l a i n t i f f immediate,
c o n t i n u i n g and i r r e p a r a b l e harm u n l e s s permanently e n j o i n e d by
t h i s C o u r t .
50. P l a i n t i f f has s u f f e r e d i n j u r y and damages t h a t have
been d i r e c t l y and p r o x i m a t e l y caused by Defendant's w r o n g f u l
s a l e , o f f e r o f s a l e , d i s t r i b u t i o n , m a r k e t i n g and a d v e r t i s e m e n t
19
o f goods t h a t i n f r i n g e upon P l a i n t i f f ' s P a t e n t , Trademark and
C o p y r i g h t .
51. P l a i n t i f f has no adequate remedy a t law.
52. P l a i n t i f f has r e t a i n e d u n d e r s i g n e d counsel t o r e p r e s e n t
i t i n t h i s m a t t e r and i s o b l i g a t e d t o pay s a i d c o u n s e l a
reasonable f e e f o r such r e p r e s e n t a t i o n .
COUNT I
Patent Infringement
53. P l a i n t i f f r e p e a t s and r e a l l e g e s t h e a l l e g a t i o n s
c o n t a i n e d i n paragraphs 1 t h r o u g h 52 above and i n c o r p o r a t e s them
as i f f u l l y s e t f o r t h a t l e n g t h h e r e i n .
54. Defendant has marketed, a d v e r t i s e d , used, o f f e r e d t o
s e l l and s o l d P l a i n t i f f ' s p a t e n t e d i n v e n t i o n w i t h i n t h e U n i t e d
S t a t e s d u r i n g t h e t e r m o f t h e Patent w i t h o u t P l a i n t i f f s
a u t h o r i t y o r consent i n v i o l a t i o n o f 35 U.S.C. §271.
55. Defendant has been made aware o f h i s i n f r i n g e m e n t by
w r i t t e n n o t i c e , y e t c o n t i n u e s t o i n f r i n g e upon P l a i n t i f f ' s
P atent by p u r c h a s i n g c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g s " f r o m China,
t h r o u g h t h e A l i e x p r e s s . c o m w e b s i t e , which are exact d u p l i c a t e s
o f P l a i n t i f f ' s p a t e n t e d i n v e n t i o n , and th e n m a r k e t i n g ,
a d v e r t i s i n g , u s i n g , o f f e r i n g f o r s a l e and s e l l i n g these
c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s and i n t h i s j u d i c i a l
d i s t r i c t , w h i l e a t t e m p t i n g t o pass them o f f as genuine Gear
Ring® p r o d u c t s .
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56. Defendant's r e p e a t e d and c o n t i n u o u s v i o l a t i o n o f
P l a i n t i f f ' s P a t e n t , d e s p i t e n o t i c e o f t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t , i s
w i l l f u l and i n t e n t i o n a l .
57. Defendant's u n l a w f u l a c t i o n s have caused and are
c o n t i n u i n g t o cause u n q u a n t i f i a b l e damages t o P l a i n t i f f .
58. P l a i n t i f f has s u f f e r e d and w i l l c o n t i n u e t o s u f f e r
i r r e p a r a b l e i n j u r y due t o Defendant's i n f r i n g e m e n t o f
P l a i n t i f f s Patent i f t h e Defendant i s not p r e l i m i n a r i l y and
permanently e n j o i n e d f r o m such conduct.
COUNT I I
Trademark Infringement
59. P l a i n t i f f r e p e a t s and r e a l l e g e s t h e a l l e g a t i o n s
c o n t a i n e d i n paragraphs 1 t h r o u g h 58 above and i n c o r p o r a t e s them
as i f f u l l y s e t f o r t h a t l e n g t h h e r e i n .
60. P l a i n t i f f ' s Trademarksare f e d e r a l l y r e g i s t e r e d marks.
61. Defendant has used t h e name Gear Ring® t o d e s i g n a t e
h i s p r o d u c t i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e s a l e , o f f e r f o r s a l e ,
d i s t r i b u t i o n , m a r k e t i n g and a d v e r t i s i n g o f c o u n t e r f e i t goods f o r
h i s own f i n a n c i a l g a i n .
62. P l a i n t i f f has not a u t h o r i z e d Defendant's use o f
P l a i n t i f f ' s Trademark.
63. Defendant's u n a u t h o r i z e d use o f P l a i n t i f f ' s Trademark
i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e s a l e , o f f e r f o r s a l e , d i s t r i b u t i o n ,
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m a r k e t i n g and a d v e r t i s i n g o f c o u n t e r f e i t goods c o n s t i t u t e s
Defendant's use o f P l a i n t i f f ' s r e g i s t e r e d trademark i n commerce.
64. Defendant's u n a u t h o r i z e d use o f P l a i n t i f f ' s Trademark
i s l i k e l y t o cause and a c t u a l l y i s c a u s i n g c o n f u s i o n , m i s t a k e
and d e c e p t i o n among consumers and/or i s c a u s i n g consumers t o
b e l i e v e t h a t Defendant's c o u n t e r f e i t goods o r i g i n a t e from
P l a i n t i f f o r t h a t P l a i n t i f f has a u t h o r i z e d , approved o r
o t h e r w i s e a s s o c i a t e d i t s e l f w i t h Defendant's c o u n t e r f e i t goods
t h a t bear P l a i n t i f f ' s Trademarks.
65. The c o n f u s i o n among consumers as t o t h e o r i g i n o f
Defendant's c o u n t e r f e i t goods i s e v i d e n t as a purchaser o f these
c o u n t e r f e i t goods has a c t u a l l y c o n t a c t e d P l a i n t i f f f o r r e p a i r o r
replacement o f t h e c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g " she had purchased
from Defendant because she b e l i e v e d she had purchased a genuine
Gear Ring® and t h a t t h e s a l e had been a u t h o r i z e d by P l a i n t i f f .
66. Defendant's u n a u t h o r i z e d use o f P l a i n t i f f ' s Trademark
has r e s u l t e d i n Defendant u n f a i r l y , i l l e g a l l y and i m p r o p e r l y
b e n e f i t t i n g f r o m P l a i n t i f f ' s name and g o o d w i l l .
67. Defendant has t h e r e f o r e i n f r i n g e d P l a i n t i f f ' s
Trademark i n v i o l a t i o n o f 15 U.S.C. §1114.
68. Defendant's r e p e a t e d and c o n t i n u o u s v i o l a t i o n o f
P l a i n t i f f ' s Trademark, d e s p i t e n o t i c e o f t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t , i s
w i l l f u l and i n t e n t i o n a l and t h e r e f o r e , t h i s c o n s t i t u t e s and
e x c e p t i o n a l case.
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69. Defendant's u n l a w f u l a c t i o n s have caused and are
c o n t i n u i n g t o cause u n q u a n t i f i a b l e damages t o P l a i n t i f f .
70. P l a i n t i f f has s u f f e r e d and w i l l c o n t i n u e t o s u f f e r
i r r e p a r a b l e i n j u r y due t o Defendant's i n f r i n g e m e n t o f
P l a i n t i f f ' s Trademark i f Defendant i s not p r e l i m i n a r i l y and
permanently e n j o i n e d f r o m such conduct.
COUNT I I I
Copyright Infringement
71. P l a i n t i f f r e p e a t s and r e a l l e g e s t h e a l l e g a t i o n s
c o n t a i n e d i n paragraphs 1 t h r o u g h 7 0 above and i n c o r p o r a t e s them
as i f f u l l y s e t f o r t h a t l e n g t h h e r e i n .
72. P l a i n t i f f ' s C o p y r i g h t i s a f e d e r a l l y r e g i s t e r e d mark.
73. Defendant has t a k e n a c o p y r i g h t e d image from
P l a i n t i f f ' s w e b s i t e and used i t t o a d v e r t i s e , market and promote
h i s c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s . Defendant has m i s a p p r o p r i a t e d t h i s
c o p y r i g h t e d c o n t e n t and i n t e r f e r e d w i t h P l a i n t i f f s e x c l u s i v e
r i g h t t o use t h e c o p y r i g h t e d c o n t e n t f o r i h i s own commercial
advantage and f i n a n c i a l g a i n .
74. P l a i n t i f f has not a u t h o r i z e d o r consented t o
Defendant's use o f P l a i n t i f f ' s C o p y r i g h t .
75. Defendant has t h e r e f o r e i n f r i n g e d P l a i n t i f f ' s
C o p y r i g h t i n v i o l a t i o n o f 17 U.S.C. §501, e t . seq.
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76. Defendant's r e p e a t e d and co n t i n u o u s v i o l a t i o n o f
P l a i n t i f f ' s C o p y r i g h t , d e s p i t e n o t i c e o f t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t , i s
w i l l f u l and i n t e n t i o n a l .
77. Defendant's u n l a w f u l a c t i o n s have caused and are
c o n t i n u i n g t o cause u n q u a n t i f i a b l e damages t o P l a i n t i f f .
78. P l a i n t i f f has s u f f e r e d and w i l l c o n t i n u e t o s u f f e r
i r r e p a r a b l e i n j u r y due t o Defendant's i n f r i n g e m e n t o f
P l a i n t i f f s C o p y r i g h t i f D e f e n d a n t i s n o t p r e l i m i n a r i l y and
permanently e n j o i n e d f r o m such conduct.
COUNT IV
F a l s e Designation of O r i g i n
79. P l a i n t i f f r e p e a t s and r e a l l e g e s t h e a l l e g a t i o n s
c o n t a i n e d i n paragraphs 1 t h r o u g h 7 8 above and i n c o r p o r a t e s them
as i f f u l l y s e t f o r t h a t l e n g t h h e r e i n .
80. Defendant's u n a u t h o r i z e d use i n i n t e r s t a t e commerce o f
P l a i n t i f f s Trademark c o n s t i t u t e s i n f r i n g e m e n t , as w e l l as t h e
use o f f a l s e d e s c r i p t i o n s and r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s and f a l s e
d e s i g n a t i o n o f o r i g i n i n v i o l a t i o n o f 15 U.S.C. §1125(a).
81. Defendant's use i n commerce o f such f a l s e d e s i g n a t i o n s
o f o r i g i n and f a l s e o r m i s l e a d i n g d e s c r i p t i o n s and
r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s i s l i k e l y t o cause c o n f u s i o n i n consumers as t o
th e c o n n e c t i o n o f Defendant w i t h P l a i n t i f f and t h e o r i g i n o f
Defendant's goods, and a c t u a l l y i s cau s i n g such c o n f u s i o n among
consumers.
24
82. Defendant's r e p e a t e d and c o n t i n u o u s s a l e o f i n f r i n g i n g
and c o u n t e r f e i t g o o d s , d e s p i t e t h e f a c t t h a t he has been n o t i f i e d
o f t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t and h i s a d v e r t i s e m e n t s have been removed as
a r e s u l t o f t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t , i s w i l l f u l and i n t e n t i o n a l .
83. Defendant's u n l a w f u l a c t i o n s have caused and are
c o n t i n u i n g t o cause u n q u a n t i f i a b l e damages t o P l a i n t i f f .
84. P l a i n t i f f has s u f f e r e d and w i l l c o n t i n u e t o s u f f e r
i r r e p a r a b l e i n j u r y due t o t h e Defendant's f a l s e d e s i g n a t i o n o f
o r i g i n and h i s f a l s e d e s c r i p t i o n s and r e p r e s e n t a t i o n s i f
Defendant i s not p r e l i m i n a r i l y and permanently e n j o i n e d f r o m
such conduct.
COUNT V
Deceptive Trade P r a c t i c e s
85. P l a i n t i f f r e p e a t s and r e a l l e g e s t h e a l l e g a t i o n s
c o n t a i n e d i n paragraphs 1 t h r o u g h 84 above and i n c o r p o r a t e s them
as i f f u l l y s e t f o r t h a t l e n g t h h e r e i n .
86. Defendant's use o f t h e "Gear Ring®" name i n c o n n e c t i o n
w i t h t h e s a l e , o f f e r f o r s a l e , d i s t r i b u t i o n , m a r k e t i n g and
a d v e r t i s i n g o f h i s i n f r i n g i n g and c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s i s
f r a u d u l e n t , m i s l e a d i n g and d e c e p t i v e , and made w i t h t h e
i n t e n t i o n t h a t consumers r e l y on such m i s r e p r e s e n t a t i o n and
b e l i e v e t h a t t h e p r o d u c t b e i n g o f f e r e d f o r s a l e i s a t r u e "Gear
Ring®" p r o d u c t .
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87. Defendant's use o f t h e "Gear Ring®" name, as w e l l as
h i s m i s a p p r o p r i a t i o n o f P l a i n t i f f ' s c o p y r i g h t e d image, i n
c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e s a l e , o f f e r f o r s a l e , d i s t r i b u t i o n ,
m a r k e t i n g and a d v e r t i s i n g o f h i s i n f r i n g i n g and c o u n t e r f e i t
p r o d u c t c o n s t i t u t e s f r a u d i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e s a l e o r
a d v e r t i s e m e n t o f goods i n v i o l a t i o n o f N.J.S.A. 56:8-2.
88. Defendant's u n l a w f u l f r a u d and d e c e p t i o n has caused
and i s c o n t i n u i n g t o cause u n q u a n t i f i a b l e damages t o P l a i n t i f f .
89. P l a i n t i f f has s u f f e r e d and w i l l c o n t i n u e t o s u f f e r
i r r e p a r a b l e i n j u r y due t o t h e Defendant's d e c e p t i v e t r a d e
p r a c t i c e s i f Defendant i s not p r e l i m i n a r i l y and permanently
e n j o i n e d f r o m such conduct.
COUNT V I
U n f a i r Competition
90. P l a i n t i f f r e p e a t s and r e a l l e g e s t h e a l l e g a t i o n s
c o n t a i n e d i n paragraphs 1 t h r o u g h 8 9 above and i n c o r p o r a t e s them
as i f f u l l y s e t f o r t h a t l e n g t h h e r e i n .
91. Defendant has engaged i n f r a u d u l e n t , m i s l e a d i n g and
u n l a w f u l conduct i n a t t e m p t i n g t o pass o f f h i s c o u n t e r f e i t gear
r i n g p r o d u c t s as P l a i n t i f f ' s p r o d u c t s .
92. Defendant has committed these a c t s w i l l f u l l y and w i t h
conscious d i s r e g a r d o f P l a i n t i f f ' s r i g h t s .
93. Defendant has t h e r e f o r e engaged i n u n f a i r c o m p e t i t i o n
i n v i o l a t i o n o f t h e common law o f t h e S t a t e o f New Jersey.
26
94. Defendant's u n l a w f u l f r a u d and d e c e p t i o n has caused
and i s c o n t i n u i n g t o cause u n q u a n t i f i a b l e damages t o P l a i n t i f f .
95. P l a i n t i f f has s u f f e r e d and w i l l c o n t i n u e t o s u f f e r
i r r e p a r a b l e i n j u r y due t o t h e Defendant's u n f a i r c o m p e t i t i o n i f
Defendant i s n o t p r e l i m i n a r i l y and p ermanently e n j o i n e d f r o m
such conduct.
COUNT V I I
I n t e r f e r e n c e With P r o s p e c t i v e Economic Advantage
96. P l a i n t i f f r e p e a t s and r e a l l e g e s t h e a l l e g a t i o n s
c o n t a i n e d i n paragraphs 1 t h r o u g h 95 above and i n c o r p o r a t e s them
as i f f u l l y s e t f o r t h a t l e n g t h h e r e i n .
97. P l a i n t i f f has expended a s i g n i f i c a n t amount o f t i m e ,
money and o t h e r r e s o u r c e s i n d e v e l o p i n g , p a t e n t i n g ,
t r a d e m a r k i n g , c o p y r i g h t i n g , a d v e r t i s i n g and m a r k e t i n g t h e Gear
Ring® and expects t o g a i n a s i g n i f i c a n t economic advantage fr o m
i t s e f f o r t s .
98. Defendant has i n t e r f e r e d w i t h t h i s economic advantage
by s e l l i n g , o f f e r i n g t o s e l l , d i s t r i b u t i n g , m a r k e t i n g and
a d v e r t i s i n g c o u n t e r f e i t gear r i n g p r o d u c t s t h a t he has purchased
f r o m China.
99. Defendant's s a l e and a d v e r t i s i n g o f c o u n t e r f e i t gear
r i n g p r o d u c t s and h i s i n t e r f e r e n c e w i t h P l a i n t i f f s p r o s p e c t i v e
economic advantage has been done w i t h o u t j u s t i f i c a t i o n o r
excuse.
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100. Defendant has purchased these c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g "
p r o d u c t s f r o m a f a c t o r y i n China f o r l e s s t h a n o n e - t e n t h (1/10)
t h e c o s t o f an a c t u a l Gear Ring® and i s r e - s e l l i n g these
c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s t o consumers i n t h e U n i t e d S t a t e s f o r l e s s
t h a n h a l f t h e p r i c e o f a genuine Gear Ring®.
101. I f Defendant was n o t s e l l i n g c o u n t e r f e i t gear r i n g
p r o d u c t s , a l l consumers w i s h i n g t o purchase a Gear Ring® would
do so f r o m P l a i n t i f f , t h e r i g h t f u l and t r u e owner o f t h e Gear
Ring® Patent and Trademark, and P l a i n t i f f would t h e r e b y g a i n a l l
these customers and an economic advantage.
102. As a r e s u l t o f Defendant's i n t e r f e r e n c e w i t h
P l a i n t i f f ' s p r o s p e c t i v e economic advantage, P l a i n t i f f has
s u f f e r e d and w i l l c o n t i n u e t o s u f f e r u n q u a n t i f i a b l e damages.
103. P l a i n t i f f has s u f f e r e d and w i l l c o n t i n u e t o s u f f e r
i r r e p a r a b l e i n j u r y due t o t h e Defendant's i n t e r f e r e n c e w i t h
p r o s p e c t i v e economic advantage i f Defendant i s not p r e l i m i n a r i l y
and permanently e n j o i n e d f r o m such conduct.
COUNT V I I I
U n j u st Enrichment
104. P l a i n t i f f r e p e a t s and r e a l l e g e s t h e a l l e g a t i o n s
c o n t a i n e d i n paragraphs 1 t h r o u g h 103 above and i n c o r p o r a t e s
them as i f f u l l y s e t f o r t h a t l e n g t h h e r e i n .
105. Defendant p r o f i t s f r o m t h e s a l e , o f f e r f o r s a l e ,
d i s t r i b u t i o n , m a r k e t i n g and a d v e r t i s i n g o f c o u n t e r f e i t gear r i n g
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p r o d u c t s t h a t a r e e x a c t d u p l i c a t e s o f P l a i n t i f f s p a t e n t e d Gear
Ring®.
106. Defendant t h e r e f o r e r e c e i v e s a b e n e f i t f r o m t h e
d u p l i c a t i o n and s a l e o f P l a i n t i f f s p a t e n t e d p r o d u c t , use o f t h e
trademarked "Gear Ring®" name and m i s a p p r o p r i a t i o n o f
P l a i n t i f f s c o p y r i g h t e d images.
107. Defendant has been u n j u s t l y e n r i c h e d by h i s s a l e o f
c o u n t e r f e i t p r o d u c t s , use o f t h e Gear Ring® name and use o f
P l a i n t i f f s images, a l l t o t h e d e t r i m e n t o f P l a i n t i f f .
108. I t would be u n j u s t f o r Defendant t o r e t a i n t h i s
b e n e f i t and Defendant s h o u l d not be p e r m i t t e d t o reap t h e
b e n e f i t s o f t h i s w r o n g f u l conduct.
109. As a r e s u l t o f Defendant's conduct, P l a i n t i f f has
s u f f e r e d and w i l l c o n t i n u e t o s u f f e r u n q u a n t i f i a b l e damages.
PRAYER FOR RELIEF ON ALL COUNTS
WHEREFORE, P l a i n t i f f p r a y s f o r judgment and r e l i e f a g a i n s t
Defendant as f o l l o w s :
a. A d j u d g i n g t h e P l a i n t i f f ' s P a t e n t , Trademark and
C o p y r i g h t t o be v a l i d and e n f o r c e a b l e ;
b. A d j u d g i n g t h a t t h e Defendant has i n f r i n g e d P l a i n t i f f ' s
P a t e n t , Trademark and C o p y r i g h t and engaged i n t h e o t h e r
w r o n g f u l conduct s e t f o r t h above;
c. A d j u d g i n g t h a t Defendant's conduct was w i l l f u l and
i n t e n t i o n a l ;
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d. That Defendant, and a l l persons o r e n t i t i e s a c t i n g i n
p r i v i t y , c o n c e r t o r p a r t i c i p a t i o n w i t h Defendant, e i t h e r
d i r e c t l y o r i n d i r e c t l y , be permanently e n j o i n e d f r o m i n f r i n g i n g ,
c o n t r i b u t i n g t o t h e i n f r i n g e m e n t o f , and/or i n d u c i n g t h e
i n f r i n g e m e n t o f t h e P a t e n t , Trademark and C o p y r i g h t , and
s p e c i f i c a l l y f r o m d i r e c t l y o r i n d i r e c t l y m a n u f a c t u r i n g , making,
u s i n g , m a r k e t i n g , d i s t r i b u t i n g , s e l l i n g o r o f f e r i n g f o r s a l e any
p r o d u c t embodying t h e d e s i g n o f t h e Patent d u r i n g t h e l i f e o f
th e P a t e n t , r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e name b e i n g used f o r such p r o d u c t ,
w i t h o u t t h e express w r i t t e n a u t h o r i t y o f t h e P l a i n t i f f and from
u s i n g t h e name "Gear Ring," o r any s i m i l a r name, o r any o f
P l a i n t i f f ' s c o p y r i g h t e d images i n c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e
manufacture, s a l e , o f f e r f o r s a l e , m a r k e t i n g and/or a d v e r t i s i n g ;
e. That Defendant, and a l l persons o r e n t i t i e s a c t i n g i n
p r i v i t y , c o n c e r t o r p a r t i c i p a t i o n w i t h Defendant, e i t h e r
d i r e c t l y o r i n d i r e c t l y , be r e q u i r e d t o i m m e d i a t e l y remove a l l
uses o f , r e f e r e n c e s t o , d e p i c t i o n s o f , o f f e r s f o r s a l e and
a d v e r t i s i n g o f t h e Gear Ring® p r o d u c t , r e g a r d l e s s o f t h e name by
which i t i s c a l l e d , and a l l uses o f t h e Gear Ring®name fr o m any
and a l l w e b s i t e s and/or URLs where such may appear i n c l u d i n g ,
b u t n ot l i m i t e d t o , A l i e x p r e s s . c o m , Alibaba.com, C r a i g s l i s t . c o m
and eBay.com;
f . That any I n t e r n e t s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r s , merchant account
p r o v i d e r s , o n l i n e m a r k e t p l a c e and shopping search engines and
30
w e b s i t e s , as w e l l as t h i r d - p a r t y p r o c e s s o r s and search engines,
i n c l u d i n g , b u t not l i m i t e d t o , A l i e x p r e s s . c o m , Alibaba.com,
C r a i g s l i s t . c o m and eBay.com, must, upon r e q u e s t o f P l a i n t i f f ,
i m m e d i a t e l y remove any and a l l l i s t i n g s by Defendant and/or
l i n k s t o h i s l i s t i n g s where c o u n t e r f e i t "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s
and/or use o f t h e Gear Ring® name are b e i n g used, o f f e r e d f o r
s a l e , marketed and/or a d v e r t i s e d and t h a t a l l such l i s t i n g s be
de-indexed so t h a t t h e y no l o n g e r appear on any search and/or
removed fr o m any search r e s u l t s page; and t h a t a l l such I n t e r n e t
s e r v i c e p r o v i d e r s , merchant account p r o v i d e r s , o n l i n e
m a r k e t p l a c e and shopping search engines and w e b s i t e s , as w e l l as
t h i r d - p a r t y p r o c e s s o r s and search engines, must, upon r e q u e s t o f
P l a i n t i f f , i m m e d i a t e l y remove any and a l l l i s t i n g s by f u t u r e
i n f r i n g e r s and/or l i n k s t o t h e i r s i t e s where c o u n t e r f e i t "gear
r i n g " p r o d u c t s and/or use o f t h e Gear Ring®name are b e i n g used,
o f f e r e d f o r s a l e , marketed and/or a d v e r t i s e d , upon p r o o f by
P l a i n t i f f t h a t t h e f u t u r e i n f r i n g e r i s u s i n g , o f f e r i n g f o r s a l e ,
m a r k e t i n g and/or a d v e r t i s i n g a p r o d u c t t h a t i s an exact
d u p l i c a t e o f P l a i n t i f f ' s Gear Ring® and/or u s i n g t h e Gear Ring®
name;
g. That Defendant p r o v i d e an a c c o u n t i n g o f a l l p r o f i t s
d e r i v e d f r o m h i s p a t e n t , trademark and c o p y r i g h t i n f r i n g e m e n t
and s a l e s o f gear r i n g j e w e l r y , and t h a t Defendant pay such
31
p r o f i t s t o P l a i n t i f f , a l o n g w i t h a c t u a l damages s u f f e r e d by-
P l a i n t i f f , t r e b l e d ;
h. A l t e r n a t i v e l y , t h a t P l a i n t i f f be awarded damages i n t h e
amount o f Two Hundred F i f t y Thousand D o l l a r s ($250,000.00);
i . That Defendant be p r o h i b i t e d f r o m d e s t r o y i n g , a l t e r i n g ,
removing, h i d i n g o r o t h e r w i s e t a m p e r i n g w i t h any books o r
r e c o r d s t h a t c o n t a i n any i n f o r m a t i o n r e l a t i n g t o t h e
i m p o r t a t i o n , d i s t r i b u t i o n , s a l e , m a r k e t i n g and/or a d v e r t i s i n g o f
a l l p r o d u c t s t h a t i n f r i n g e on P l a i n t i f f ' s P a t e n t , Trademark
and/or C o p y r i g h t ;
j . That any t h i r d p a r t y p r o v i d i n g payment and r e l a t e d
s e r v i c e s f o r Defendant's s a l e o f i n f r i n g i n g "gear r i n g "
p r o d u c t s , i n c l u d i n g merchant account p r o v i d e r s , c r e d i t c a r d
companies, payment p r o v i d e r s and/or t h i r d p a r t y payment
p r o c e s s o r s p r o v i d i n g such s e r v i c e s f o r eBay and A l i e x p r e s s , such
as Paypal, A l i p a y , V i s a , M a s t e r c a r d , moneybookers, Maestro,
Solo, Carte Bleue, C a r t a S i and PostePay, i m m e d i a t e l y cease
r e n d e r i n g such s e r v i c e s f o r purchase o r s a l e s o f gear r i n g
p r o d u c t s and s h a l l , upon r e c e i v i n g n o t i c e o f an a p p l i c a b l e
Order, d e l i v e r t o P l a i n t i f f , o r i t s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e , c o p i e s o f
a l l documents and r e c o r d s r e l a t i n g t o Defendant's purchase o r
s a l e o f "gear r i n g " p r o d u c t s ;
k. That Defendant pay P l a i n t i f f i t s reasonable a t t o r n e y s '
fees and c o s t s p u r s u a n t t o 15 U.S.C. §1117(a);
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1. A d j u d g i n g t h a t t h i s case be deemed e x c e p t i o n a l ;
m. A d j u d g i n g t h a t Defendant be o r d e r e d t o d e l i v e r t o
P l a i n t i f f , f o r d e s t r u c t i o n a t P l a i n t i f f ' s o p t i o n , a l l p r o d u c t s
t h a t i n f r i n g e t h e P a t e n t ; and,
n. Such o t h e r r e l i e f as t h e c o u r t deems j u s t and p r o p e r .
Dated: November 9, 2012 Angela V i d a l , Esq. A t t o r n e y f o r P l a i n t i f f , K i n e k t Design, LLC
/s Angela V i d a l By: Angela V i d a l , Esq. 201 S t r y k e r s Road S u i t e 19-155 P h i l l i p s b u r g , New Jersey 08865 Telephone (908)884-1841 F a c s i m i l e (908)859-3201
33
LOCAL C I V I L RULE 11.2 CERTIFICATION
I c e r t i f y t h a t , t o t h e b e s t o f my knowledge, t h e m a t t e r i n
c o n t r o v e r s y i s not t h e s u b j e c t o f any o t h e r pending o r
a n t i c i p a t e d l i t i g a t i o n i n any c o u r t o r a r b i t r a t i o n p r o c e e d i n g ,
nor are t h e r e any n o n - p a r t i e s known t o P l a i n t i f f t h a t s h o u l d be
j o i n e d i n t h i s a c t i o n . I n a d d i t i o n , I r e c o g n i z e a c o n t i n u i n g
o b l i g a t i o n d u r i n g t h e course o f t h i s l i t i g a t i o n t o f i l e and t o
serve on a l l o t h e r p a r t i e s and w i t h t h e Court an amended
c e r t i f i c a t i o n i f t h e r e i s a change i n t h e f a c t s s t a t e d i n t h i s
o r i g i n a l c e r t i f i c a t i o n .
Dated: November 9, 2012 Angela V i d a l , Esq. A t t o r n e y f o r P l a i n t i f f , K i n e k t Design, LLC
/s Angela V i d a l ____ By: Angela V i d a l , Esq.
LOCAL C I V I L RULE 201.1 CERTIFICATION
I hereby c e r t i f y t h a t t h e above-captioned m a t t e r i s not
s u b j e c t t o compulsory a r b i t r a t i o n i n t h a t d e c l a r a t o r y and
i n j u n c t i v e r e l i e f i s sought.
Dated: November 9, 2012 Angela V i d a l , Esq. A t t o r n e y f o r P l a i n t i f f , K i n e k t Design, LLC
/s Angela V i d a l By: Angela V i d a l , Esq.
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V E R I F I C A T I O N
1. I , Glen Liberman, o f f u l l age, hereby v e r i f y and s t a t e
t h a t I am the i n v e n t o r and h o l d e r o f U n i t e d S t a t e s Patent Number
D639,199 and the s o l e member o f P l a i n t i f f , K i n e k t Design, LLC.
2. I have f u l l knowledge o f a l l the f a c t s and circumstances
r e g a r d i n g t h i s m a t t e r .
3. I have read the f o r e g o i n g V e r i f i e d Complaint and v e r i f y
t h a t the cont e n t s t h e r e o f are t r u e based on my own pe r s o n a l
knowledge, except as t o any m a t t e r s s t a t e d upon i n f o r m a t i o n and
b e l i e f , and as t o those m a t t e r s , I b e l i e v e them t o be t r u e based
on t he i n f o r m a t i o n a v a i l a b l e t o me.
4. 1 hereby v e r i f y under p e n a l t y o f p e r j u r y t h a t t he
f o r e g o i n g statements made by me are t r u e and c o r r e c t and I am
aware t h a t i f any o f the f o r e g o i n g statements made by me are
found t o be w i l l f u l l y f a l s e , I am s u b j e c t t o punishment.
Glen Liberman
Sworn and sub s c r i b e d b e f o r e me on t h i s |2-y~4ay ofNovember, 2012
My commission expires
AlAN W. PERLBERG NOIARY PU8UC0P NEW JERSEY My Commissi Expires Feb. 15,2015