According to The Oklahoman, Hallmark is in a trademark standoff with an Oklahoma City retailer over the use of the name “North Pole City.” The greeting card behemoth had a trademark infringement suit filed against it on September 9 by North Pole City, an Oklahoma City seasonal store that deals in Christmas ornaments and other holiday collectibles. The Oklahoma City retailer filed the suit after it learned of Hallmark’s plans to use the “North Pole City” name on its merchandise.
“Hallmark has been well aware that North Pole City has utilized the ‘North Pole City’ phrase or name for some time,” said North Pole City store owner David Green. “We are still hopeful that we can resolve this dispute informally with Hallmark.”
The lawsuit alleges that Hallmark has attempted to trademark the name “North Pole City” and is planning to release a North Pole City product line in the near future. A claim that is backed up by The Oklahoman’s report that records show that a trademark application was filed by Hallmark in June for the name “North Pole City.” According to the application, Hallmark plans to use the name on greeting cards, serving plates and cheese spreaders, a series of fictional books, gift-wrapping paper, stationary and cookie decoration devices.
“Without North Pole City’s permission, defendants have indicated their intent to launch products and franchise development for Holiday 2014 around a fictional city called North Pole City,” reads an excerpt from North Pole City’s lawsuit.
Whether North Pole City is successful in its lawsuit against Hallmark may ultimately come down to whether it has selected quality representation. For over 25 years, our Los Angeles trademark infringement attorney has been successfully defending the rights of the victims of intellectual property disputes. In addition to that experience, he has the knowledge, skills and resources to help guide you through the legal process of holding accountable those who violated your rights and recovering compensation for all the damage done to you and your business.
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Quick Klein Extra: In 2009, McDonald’s lost an eight-year trademark dispute with McCurry in Malaysia over the “Mc” prefix.
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