OCT. 26 I SWEETWATER, AUDIOLINES I LEGAL
Sweetwater Wins Trademark Suit

Sweetwater of Fort Wayne, Ind., recently won a trademark infringement lawsuit against Audiolines, a part of Chicago-based J2 Electronics Group.

In the lawsuit, which was filed in mid-July in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Indiana, Sweetwater alleged that Audiolines illegally copied online content, including product information and specs on Sweetwater’s Web site, and posted them on the Audiolines site. Certain Audiolines pages stated that customers should contact their Sweetwater sales engineer for more information. All of this content has been removed.

Sweetwater sought $75,000 in damages, and the court ordered Audiolines to pay for the trademark infringement. The court also permanently enjoined Audiolines from using the trademark “Sweetwater” on its Web site or in any other connection with the sale of its products.

“I regret that I had to take legal action, but the abuse was blatant,” said Chuck Surack, Sweetwater founder and president. “Our Web site was the first in the industry, and its information-rich content is the product of years of hard work on the part of many people here at Sweetwater. I had to act to protect that, as well as the Sweetwater brand.”

sweetwater.com; audiolines.com