Filipino Yellow Pages, Inc. v. Asian Journal Publications, Inc.

We must decide whether the publisher of a telephone directory for the Filipino-American community can establish that the term “Filipino Yellow Pages” is protec-tible under trademark law.

I

Roger Lagmay Oriel and Oscar Jorna-cion were partners in four businesses between 1982 and 1986. One of these businesses, Fil-Am Enterprises, Inc. (“Fil-Am”), published the Filipino Directory of California, a telephone directory directed primarily at the Filipino-American community of Southern California. In December 1986, Oriel and Jornacion terminated their business relationship and divided up their business interests through execution of a “Shareholders’ Buy Out Agreement” (“the Agreement”). Under the Agreement, Oriel acquired complete ownership of Fil-Am’s telephone directory business, and Jornacion agreed not to compete “in the Filipino Directory (Filipino Yellow Pages) [market] in California” for three years.

Oriel, as owner of Fil-Am, continued to publish the Filipino Directory of California until 1991. Between 1991 and 1993, Fil-Am joined two partners to publish a telephone directory known as the Filipino Directory of the U.S.A. and Canada. In 1993, Fil-Am sold its interest in the…