A Fun Case that I've Handled ...

Friday, March 7, 2008
Trademark case revolves around anti-Hillary Clinton groupSouth Florida Business Journal - by Paul Brinkmann

Well-known Republican political consultant Roger Stone is a defendant in a federal trademark infringement lawsuit filed by a Virginia political organization.

Stone, who works in tandem with the Fort Lauderdale law firm Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler (RRA), is involved in a new anti-Hillary Clinton political organization called Citizens United Not Timid, which sells T-shirts and asks "What is Hillary Clinton?"

The lawsuit, filed by Citizens United, notes the defendant's Web site asks that question above a stylized logo intended to represent the anatomy of a woman and the group's name forms a vulgar acronym.

Washington, D.C.-based Citizens United has criticized Hillary Clinton in a film and was established in 1988 with registered marks. Three Virginia law firms and Miami attorney Alexander Anguiera represent the group.

RRA's Frank Herrera and Gustavo Sardiña, plus Miami attorney Michael Becker represent Stone and his group.

The suit, in U.S. District Court for Southern Florida, alleges assistant treasurer Stone and Chairman Jeffrey Jones knew about the Virginia group and tried to make people think the Virginia group was behind their effort. The suit seeks an injunction against use of the name.

In response, Stone's lawyers have argued the suit should be dismissed for procedural missteps and because there is no - or only incidental - similarity between the goods and services of both groups, and the suit is "nothing more than an attempt to chill defendants' First Amendment rights." Stone's lawyers offer a list of groups that have Citizens United as part of their name.