Byron Belin v. Starz Entertainment, LLC

NOT FOR PUBLICATION FILED

UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS MAY 8 2024

MOLLY C. DWYER, CLERK

U.S. COURT OF APPEALS

FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT

BYRON BELIN, No. 23-55372

Plaintiff-Appellant, D.C. No. 2:21-cv-09586-FWS-PLA v.

STARZ ENTERTAINMENT, LLC, a MEMORANDUM* Colorado limited liability company; et al.,

Defendants-Appellees.

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Central District of California Fred W. Slaughter, District Judge, Presiding

Argued and Submitted March 28, 2024 Pasadena, California

Before: RAWLINSON, LEE, and BRESS, Circuit Judges.

Byron Belin sued Starz Entertainment, Lions Gate Entertainment, Curtis

Jackson, G-Unit Brands, Inc., and G-Unit Film and Television, Inc for trademark

infringement. The district court dismissed Belin’s lawsuit with prejudice, ruling that

the defendants’ alleged use of Belin’s mark—“BMF”—was protected by the First

Amendment and therefore outside the scope of the trademark laws. We have

* This disposition is not appropriate for publication and is not precedent except as provided by Ninth Circuit Rule…