Source: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-89-06266/USCOURTS-ca10-89-06266-0/pdf.json

Nature of Suit Code: 840
Nature of Suit: Trademark
Cause of Action: 

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F LED 

United States Court of Appeals 

Tenth Circuit 

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS M. y 2 1 

ROBERT L. HOECKER 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

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LANDMARK LAND COMPANY OF OKLAHOMA, 

and UNIQUE GOLF CONCEPTS, INC., 

Plaintiffs-Appellees, 

v. 

OAK TREE INSURANCE AGENCY, INC., 

Defendant-Appellant. 

INC.;) 

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ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

Clerk 

No. 89-6266 

(D.C. No. CIV-88-2188-T) 

(W.D. Okla.) 

Before McKAY, ANDERSON, and TACHA, Circuit Judges. 

After examining the briefs and appellate record, this panel 

has determined unanimously that oral argument would not materially 

assist the determination of this appeal. See Fed. R. App. P. 

34(a); 10th Cir. R. 34.1.9. The case is therefore ordered 

submitted without oral argument. 

This appeal is from an order of the district court denying 

the defendant Oak Tree Insurance Agency's request for attorneys' 

fees in a case dismissed without prejudice upon the application of 

the plaintiffs Landmark Land Company and Unique Golf Concepts. 

The defendants appeal arguing that the district court abused its 

discretion when it did not condition the dismissal without 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and shall 

not be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, 

except for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of 

the case, res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 

36.3. 

Appellate Case: 89-6266 Document: 01019967289 Date Filed: 05/02/1990 Page: 1 
prejudice upon a payment of reasonable attorneys' fees. We 

affirm. 

The plaintiffs in this case utilize and have registered with 

the United States Patent and Trademark Office a logo using a tree 

on two trademarks and a tree logo in combination with script words 

"Oak Tree" on an additional trademark. Defendant Oak Tree 

Insurance Agency uses a tree logo in connection with the "T" of 

its name "Oak Tree." The plaintiffs alleged in this action that 

they were owners of the three registered trademarks and that 

defendant was infringing these trademarks and diluting their 

trademark rights. After the defendants had answered the complaint 

and after minimal discovery plaintiffs moved to dismiss the action 

without prejudice. The defendants requested that the dismissal be 

conditioned upon the payment of Oak Tree's attorneys' fees by 

Landmark. The district court denied this request on the grounds 

that the case was not an "exceptional" case justifying such an 

award. 

We review for an abuse of discretion. Where the trademarks 

in question in this case can clearly be alleged to be similar and 

where defendants have failed to demonstrate adequately undue 

prejudice to them, we cannot say that the district court abused 

its discretion in denying attorneys' fees. AFFIRMED. The mandate 

shall issue forthwith. 

-2-

ENTERED FOR THE COURT 

Deanell Reece Tacha 

Circuit Judge 

Appellate Case: 89-6266 Document: 01019967289 Date Filed: 05/02/1990 Page: 2