Opinion ID: 591020
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: 5 This is, among other things, a design patent infringement case. Plaintiffs/cross-appellants, Braun, Inc., and Braun Aktiengesellschaft (Braun), are the owners of U.S. design patent No. 271,176, which relates to a hand held electric blender. Defendant-appellant, Dynamics Corporation of America's Waring Products Division (Waring), manufactures a competing hand held electric blender. On February 1, 1988, Braun sued Waring in the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut, alleging: (1) design patent infringement, 35 U.S.C. § 271, (2) false designation of origin, including trade dress infringement, pursuant to section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a), and (3) unfair competition and passing off under Connecticut common law and statutory law. 6 In December 1990, the case was tried before a jury. At the close of evidence the district court directed a verdict against Waring's defense that Braun committed inequitable conduct before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO). The district court reasoned there was insufficient evidence of intent to deceive the PTO to go to the jury. On December 19, 1990, the jury found that: (1) Braun's design patent was valid, (2) Waring willfully infringed Braun's design patent, 1 (3) Waring infringed Braun's trade dress in the design of its blender, and (4) Waring infringed Braun's trade dress in the packaging of its blender, (5) Waring passed off its blender as Braun's blender, and (6) Waring's total profit from the sale of its blender was $737,948. 2 7 On April 26, 1991, the district court: (1) denied Waring's motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV) or for a new trial, Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(b), 3 (2) awarded Braun three times Waring's total profit on the grounds that Waring willfully infringed Braun's design patent, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 284, and (3) denied Braun's motion for attorney fees and costs. 8 Now Waring and Braun appeal. Waring says: (1) the jury's verdict as to design patent infringement must be reversed as it is unsupported by substantial evidence, (2) the jury's verdict as to the willfulness of Waring's infringement must be reversed as it is unsupported by substantial evidence, (3) the district court erred in trebling Waring's profits, (4) the district court erred by directing a verdict as to Waring's affirmative defense of inequitable conduct, (5) the jury's verdict that Waring infringed Braun's trade dress in the design of its blender must be reversed as it is unsupported by substantial evidence, (6) the jury's verdict that Waring infringed Braun's trade dress in the packaging of its blender must be reversed as it is unsupported by substantial evidence, and (7) the jury's verdict that Waring passed off its blender as Braun's blender must be reversed as it is unsupported by substantial evidence. In its appeal, Braun says the district court erred in denying it attorney fees. 9 For the reasons which follow, we AFFIRM in part and REVERSE in part the judgment of the district court. In particular, we: (1) AFFIRM the jury's verdict as to design patent infringement, (2) REVERSE the jury's verdict as to the willfulness of Waring's design patent infringement, (3) REVERSE the district court's trebling of Waring's total profits, (4) AFFIRM the district court's directed verdict as to Braun's alleged inequitable conduct, (5) REVERSE the jury's verdict as to both trade dress infringement of blender design and packaging and REMAND as to blender design, (6) REVERSE and REMAND in part the jury's verdict as to passing off, and (7) AFFIRM the district court's denial of attorney fees. 4 In so holding, we have looked to essentially three separate sources of law. In deciding the question of design patent infringement, and all related issues, we have applied case law of the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, which has exclusive jurisdiction over patent appeals. 28 U.S.C. § 1295. In deciding the claims involving trade mark and trade dress infringement brought under section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, we have looked to the case law of the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, which is where this case was tried. See Bandag, Inc. v. Al Bolser's Tire Stores, 750 F.2d 903, 909 (Fed.Cir.1984) (in reviewing pendent trademark claims, the Federal Circuit applies the law of the circuit in which the case was tried). 5 Lastly, because this case was tried in Connecticut and Waring's principal place of business is in Connecticut, we have applied Connecticut law in deciding Braun's state law claims of passing off.