Lighting Brands Tangle over Amazon Store
One side of the building is suing the other side
Sometimes it's hard to keep track of how the big lamp brands have morphed into other brands in recent years. In our 2017 article "What happened to Sylvania?" and other lighting conundrums we explained many of the nuances surrounding the 2016 split of Osram Sylvania and Ledvance. In the year before that split, the company had just moved into a fancy new headquarters building in Wilmington, MA. And today, while the two separate brands and companies still share the same Ballardvale Street address, one side of the building is suing the other.
In United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Osram Sylvania Inc. opened a complaint against Ledvance LLC. According to the complaint, the two parties entered into a 2016 Trademark License Agreement (TMLA) that authorized Ledvance restricted use of certain trademarks owned by Osram Sylvania, including the Sylvania name. The agreement covered certain marks for specific regions of the world. Ledvance is accused of making ongoing use of the marks in violation of the TMLA.
Many of the allegations asserted by Osram Sylvania surround Ledvance's use of the "Sylvania" name on its Amazon.com Brand Store. The Plaintiff alleges that Ledvance is confusing customers by using the term "SYLVANIA General Lighting" on the Amazon website. Below are two excerpts from the filed complaint.
Above: Excerpts from the Plaintiff's legal filing
One of the exhibits of the complaint demonstrates Osram Sylvania in-house counsel sending emails across the building to Ledvance in-house counsel. The two parties apparently were unable to resolve the matter, leading to the recent lawsuit.
Ledvance has until December 23 to file responses (or request an extension to respond) to Osram Sylvania's specific claims which include:
- Federal Trademark Infringement
- Unfair Competition
- Breach of Contract
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