Magic Kitchen LLC v. Good Things International, Ltd.
Opinion
Opinion
Suzukawa, J.
INTRODUCTION
From the mid-1980’s until 1993, defendant and respondent The Pampered Chef, Ltd., purchased a kitchen device known as the Tartmaster from plaintiff and appellant Kitchen Connection, Inc. In about 1993, Pampered Chef learned that the patents on the Tartmaster’s design had expired, and it began sourcing copies of the Tartmaster (which it called the Cut-N-Seal) from defendants and respondents Good Things International, Ltd. and Ten Mark Corporation. Kitchen Connection discovered no later than mid-1993 that Pampered Chef was sourcing Tartmaster copies, but it waited nearly 10 years, until 2003, to file the present suit for trade dress infringement, unfair competition, and false advertising.
Plaintiffs’ trade dress claims were presented to a jury. After both sides presented their evidence, the trial court granted a directed verdict for defendants, concluding that the claims were barred by laches and the statute of limitations as a matter of law. Then, sitting without a jury, the court further found for defendants on the unfair competition and false advertising claims. Subsequently, it denied defendants’ motions for attorney fees.