CASE STUDY
FOCUS: Intellectual Property
Successful Copyright Lawsuit against an Infringing Competitor
CHALLENGE
A client’s website contains creative descriptions and videos for the sale of custom logo-imprinted goods. A competitor downloaded the client’s entire website, uploaded the contents to its own website and simply replaced the trademarks and contact information.
OUR STRATEGY
At GCT, we are protective of our clients and their business interests, and work with them to prepare for potentialities. Prior to the competitor’s actions, we had helped the client register the copyright for the creative content on the client’s website. When we were made aware of the situation, GCT served the competitor with a cease and desist letter, which the competitor ignored. GCT then filed suit against the competitor for copyright infringement. Because the content had been protected by copyright registrations prior to the infringement, our client was able to seek statutory damages and attorneys’ fees in addition to obtaining injunctive relief.
RESULTS
GCT negotiated a settlement agreement, which provided for the competitor removing our client’s content and paying a settlement amount that included statutory damages and attorneys’ fees.