Opinion ID: 406456
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Holiday Inns' Cross-Appeal

Text: 16 Holiday Inns contends that the district court erred in limiting recovery to thirty percent of defendants' profits and damages for a total of $32,265.00, an amount later trebled pursuant to 15 U.S.C. § 1117. Having reviewed the trial judge's reasoning, however, we conclude that he acted well within the bounds of his discretion. The court could properly accept the evidence offered by the defendants, which was to the effect that only thirty percent of the hotels' business during the period of infringement was attributable to the improper use of plaintiff's service marks. The court acted reasonably, therefore, in reducing the damage figure to that percentage of the total profits and loss royalties. The court used its discretion in plaintiff's favor, after all, by trebling the thirty percent figure. 17 Great latitude is given the trial judge in awarding damages, and his judgment will not be set aside unless the award is clearly inadequate. Drake v. E. I. DuPont deNemours & Co., 432 F.2d 276, 279 (5th Cir. 1970). This is especially true of an award fashioned pursuant to the Lanham Act, which expressly confers upon district judges wide discretion in determining a just amount of recovery for trademark infringement. See 15 U.S.C. § 1117. 18 The judgment below is AFFIRMED in all respects.