PITTSBURGH – A West Virginia pottery company is suing a competitor alleging unfair competition and violation in relation to the marketing and selling of dining utensils.
The Homer Laughlin China Co. and HLC Holding Inc. filed a complaint Sept. 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania against Williams-Sonoma, concerning the sales of specific products, alleging unfair competition, trademark infringement, unfair competition and unjust enrichment.
The plaintiffs, makers of Fiesta dinnerware and other products, purport that in June the defendant began marketing products which closely resembled and used an identical trademark to the original and already trademarked products of the plaintiff. Williams-Sonoma allegedly labeled and marketed certain dinnerware in their catalog as Fiesta Favorites, and thus associated the products with the plaintiff's Fiesta brand. The plaintiff alleges that the defendant committed unfair competition, as well as an infringement of state and federal trademark policy.
Homer Laughlin is seeking compensation of an unspecified amount for all damages, as well as a recall of all products which violated the trademark policy. The company is represented by Erin Lucas Hamilton, Charles B. Gibbons and Michael L. Denver of Buchanan Ingersoll and Rooney P.C. in Pittsburgh and by Andrew J. Cornelius of Andrew J. Cornelius PC, also in Pittsburgh.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania case number 2:15-CV-01201