Opinion ID: 389212
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: godzilla and bagzilla

Text: 2 Toho Company is a Japanese limited corporation. Since the 1950's, Toho and its licensees have produced and distributed movies and a television cartoon series featuring Godzilla, a fictitious, gigantic, green, lizard-like monster. Pictorial representations of the monster are used to promote the movies and series, as is the slogan King of the Monsters. 3 Saperstein is Toho's exclusive merchandising representative of the Godzilla name and character for the United States and Canada. 1 Toho, through Saperstein, has licensed others to produce Godzilla merchandise, including comic books, coloring books, sheet vinyl toys, a game, and slide transparencies. Toho alleges that it has licensed others to use the term Godzilla, depictions of the monster, and the King of the Monsters phrase for use in promoting merchandise. 4 Toho sued Sears, Roebuck & Co. seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief for what Toho alleged was improper use by Sears of a likeness of Toho's movie character, Godzilla. Sears, a New York corporation, sells garbage bags in boxes which designate the bags as a Sears product, but which also display the word Bagzilla, depict a comic, helpful, personified reptilian creature, and carry the legend Monstrously Strong Bags. 5 Toho's complaint alleges five causes of action: 6 (1) false designation of origin, or false description or representation, under section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a) (1976); 7 (2) infringement of common law trademark; 8 (3) federal unfair competition under section 44(b) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1126(b) (1976); 9 (4) state unfair competition under California Business and Professions Code §§ 14330 (dilution) and 17500 (false or misleading statements) (West Supp.1980) and under former California Civil Code § 3369 (West 1970) (present version codified at Cal.Bus. & Prof.Code §§ 17200-17208 (West Supp.1980)) (unfair competition generally); 10 (5) misappropriation and unjust enrichment under state law.