Opinion ID: 780600
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: standard of review

Text: 19 The district court's ultimate balancing of the Polaroid factors is always subject to de novo review, Cadbury Beverages, Inc. v. Cott Corp., 73 F.3d 474, 478 (2d Cir.1996), and such review is a fortiori applicable on review of a grant of summary judgment, Nabisco, Inc. v. Warner-Lambert Co., 220 F.3d 43, 45 (2d Cir.2000). Patsy's Brand concedes that the standard of review is de novo as to the District Court's ultimate conclusion of likely confusion, but argues that we should examine the District Court's findings concerning the predicate facts, by which the Plaintiff appears to mean the subsidiary findings concerning each of the Polaroid factors, only for clear error, even on review of a grant of summary judgment. Although certain passages from prior opinions of this Court may be read to support this position, our holdings demonstrate a more cautious approach. 20 In Cadbury Beverages, we observed that the district court's findings with regard to each of the Polaroid factors `are entitled to considerable deference,' even on appeals from summary judgment. 73 F.3d at 478 ( quoting Lois Sportswear, U.S.A., Inc. v. Levi Strauss & Co., 799 F.2d 867, 873 (2d Cir.1986)). However, we went on to caution: If a factual inference must be drawn to arrive at a particular finding on a Polaroid factor, and if a reasonable trier of fact could reach a different conclusion, the district court may not properly resolve that issue on summary judgment. Id. In Cadbury we held that the District Court had improperly drawn inferences in favor of the moving party, and vacated the grant of summary judgment. See id. at 480-82. See also The Sports Authority, Inc. v. Prime Hospitality Corp., 89 F.3d 955, 965-66 (2d Cir.1996). 2 Nothing in our prior holdings suggests that a district court deciding a motion for summary judgment in a trademark infringement case has any greater discretion than it would have in a non-trademark case to resolve disputed issues of fact or draw inferences against the non-moving party. On undisputed facts, the District Court is owed some deference in its subsidiary conclusions as to each Polaroid factor, but such conclusions are not immune from appellate review. For example, there is a considerable component of law in the determination whether a mark has the degree of strength necessary to weigh in favor of the party claiming infringement.