A U.S. federal judge set a trial date of 24 March 2024 for the contentious trademark infringement lawsuit brought against Pike Place Fish Market (PPFM) – the iconic fresh seafood market inside Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington, U.S.A. – by the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA).
In a lawsuit filed in September 2023 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, PDA, which manages the market, alleged PPFM breached its lease agreement by illegally using the market’s name to market smoked salmon products across the country.
The PDA also contends that PPFM is using the name in an illegal non-market enterprise to accommodate its mail-order business.
However, in recently filed documents, PPFM asked for the case to be dismissed and submitted a counterclaim against PDA.
The PDA failed to “allege facts sufficient to make its claim of fraud plausible,” PPFM said in the motion to dismiss. The registration of the Pike Place Fish Market mark is directed toward a graphic mark, not the words, “Pike Place Fish Market,” PPFM contended.
PDA’s claims based on breach of license should be dismissed because the lease precludes a license, according to PPFM.
In its answer to PPFM’s counterclaim, PDA said the claims are barred because ...
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