Opinion ID: 199861
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Amount of the Fees

Text: 44 The district court determined the amount of attorneys' fees under the commonly used lodestar method, in which the number of hours reasonably spent by the attorneys on the case is multiplied by a reasonable hourly rate. Hensley v. Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424, 433, 103 S.Ct. 1933, 76 L.Ed.2d 40 (1983); Lipsett v. Blanco, 975 F.2d 934, 937 (1st Cir.1992). Tamko submitted a supporting declaration by an experienced trademark attorney. It also submitted detailed time records from lead counsel, house counsel, and local counsel. The court considered the time and labor required, the skill required, the nature and length of the professional relationship with the client, and time limitations imposed by the client. It is clear from the court's October 6, 2000 order that it reviewed the materials in some detail. 45 Because Ideal did not file any opposition to Tamko's attorneys' fees request and materials, it may well have forfeited this issue for appeal. Hebert v. Wicklund, 744 F.2d 218, 223-24 (1st Cir.1984). Ideal argues that because the size of the award is substantially larger than the award of profits in this case, an injustice might result if this court does not review the amount of fees. Neither the statute nor the legislative history limits the award of fees to an amount less than the award of profits or damages. To the contrary, the legislative intent was partly to encourage the enforcement of trademark rights in cases where the measurable damages are nominal. S. Rep. 93-1400, reprinted in 1974 U.S.C.C.A.N. 7132, 7136. When a trademark is infringed, trademark owners have more at stake than just the damages or loss of profits in that case. Their failure to enforce their rights may result in the weakening of these rights over time. 2 McCarthy on Trademarks, supra, § 17:17, at 17-31. The cost of enforcing the rights may well be larger than the lost profits in any particular case. In all events, the district court appears carefully to have scrutinized Tamko's filing, 9 and it articulated a clear understanding of the applicable lodestar principles. Given these facts, and given Ideal's failure to furnish the district court with any reasons why Tamko's fee application should have been pared down, we do not think that this is an issue that requires further review. 46