Starlight Int Ltd. V. Lifeguard Health Case Study

714 Words2 Pages

In Starlight Int’l, LTD. v. Lifeguard Health, LLC, 2008 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 58927 (N.D. Cal. July 22, 2008), California resident and plaintiff filed a complaint against Pennsylvania resident and defendant, claiming trademark infringement and unfair competition. Starlight is a limited partnership that markets and sells dietary supplements and Lifeguard also markets and sells dietary supplements and maintains an interactive website where it displays its product. Starlight alleges it owns the registered trademarks of Lifeguard, Lifeguard Junior, and Lifeguard Joint Formula. Defendant moved to dismiss the suit for lack of personal jurisdiction, or, alternatively, to transfer venue to Pennsylvania. Defendant states that there is no basis for which …show more content…

Therefore, “if a defendant is amenable to general jurisdiction in a state, the state may exercise jurisdiction over the defendant based on any claim, including claims unrelated to the defendant’s contacts with the state.” Id. at 6 (quoting Coremetrics, Inc. v. AtomicPark.com, LLC, 370 F. Supp. 2d 1013, 1016 (N.D. Cal. 2005). The Ninth Circuit Court considers the following factors when determining if general jurisdiction exists: whether the defendant makes sales, solicits or engages in business in the state, serves the state’s markets, designates an agent for service of process, holds a license, or is incorporated there. With all factors presented, whether considered independently or together, the court determined that these contacts are not so “substantial, continuous, and systematic” that defendant can be viewed as present in California for all …show more content…

Starlight asserts that Lifeguard purposefully directed its business at California through four contacts: (1) internet and direct sales to California consumers; (2) participation in the San Francisco trade show; (3) a retail partnership with MPower Solutions in California; and (4) an e-commerce relationship with Yahoo. The court established that defendant’s direct and internet sales to California consumers are sufficient evidence of purposeful availment of this forum, and thereby fulfills the first requirement of specific jurisdiction. By availing oneself of the privilege of conducting activities within the forum state through such actions, defendant invoked the benefits and protections of the forum’s laws. Accordingly, in return for these benefits and protections, the defendant must submit to the burdens of litigation in that forum. Additionally, the court affirmed that acompany’s useof an interactive website may constitute purposeful availment of a forum. Id. at 14 (Cybersell, Inc. v. Cybersell, Inc., 130 F. 3d 414 (9th Cir. 1997). To fulfill thesecond requirement, the“contactsconstituting purposeful availment must be the ones that give rise to the current dispute,” as measured by the“but for” causation

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