Opinion ID: 782789
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Balance of Harms and the Public Interest

Text: 20 As discussed immediately above, Medicine Shoppe was threatened with irreparable harm to its business reputation and goodwill — goodwill that had been developed during twenty-five years of continuous operation at that site. Pill Dr. and Swartout, on the other hand, had only recently begun operations as Hope Mill Drug, and therefore did not face risk to a well-developed and longstanding business reputation. The only evidence regarding potential harms to Pill Dr. and Swartout related to costs associated with licensing and re-identifying the pharmacy. The district court did not err by finding that the balance of harms favored Medicine Shoppe. 21 Having found that Medicine Shoppe had established a likelihood of success on the merits, the district court concluded that the public interest would be served by requiring Pill Dr. and Swartout to adhere to the obligations of the licensing agreement and thereby to preserve the integrity of the Medicine Shoppe trademark and associated goodwill. Although the public interest is not ordinarily implicated by concerns related to a business's good name, we agree that the public interest would not be served by permitting a party to avoid contractual obligations through the simple expedient of reincorporation under a new name.