Opinion ID: 2826313
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Declaratory Judgment Is Improper

Text: Appellant requested that the District Court issue a declaratory judgment indicating that the ARA only transferred trademarks to appellee within the area of appellee’s Territory. We agree with that Court that the issuance of a declaratory judgment was not warranted because there is no current conflict between the parties with respect to the places where the parties may register the ARA trademarks. The absence of a dispute is 10 obvious because appellee has withdrawn its trademark registration applications and expressly has stated that it will not file trademark registration applications in the area reserved to appellant. Moreover, appellant is not suggesting that it intends to file an application for a trademark registration in appellee’s Territory. The Declaratory Judgment Act, 28 U.S.C. § 2201, “creates a remedy by which federal courts may declare the rights and other legal relations of any interested party seeking such a declaration when there is a case of actual controversy.” Brockstedt v. Sussex Cnty. Council, 794 F. Supp. 2d 489, 499 (D. Del. 2011) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). “[T]he question in each case is whether the facts alleged, under all the circumstances, show that there is a substantial controversy, between parties having adverse legal interests, of sufficient immediacy and reality to warrant the issuance of a declaratory judgment.” Md. Cas. Co. v. Pac. Coal & Oil Co., 312 U.S. 270, 273, 61 S.Ct. 510, 512 (1941). A plaintiff bringing an action for declaratory judgment must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that there is an actual controversy between the parties. Edmunds Holding Co. v. Autobytel Inc., 598 F. Supp. 2d 606, 608-09 (D. Del. 2009). Here, it is clear that there is not a “substantial controversy . . . of sufficient immediacy and reality to warrant the issuance of a declaratory judgment” or, indeed, any controversy at all. Md. Cas. Co., 312 U.S. at 273, 61 S.Ct. at 512. The fact is that since appellee renounced the applications for registration, this case has been a lawsuit looking for a controversy. 11