Did Tiffany & Co. make a strategic blunder by suing Costco Wholesale Corp. for using the Tiffany name in marketing materials? In light of a federal court ruling last week, the high-end jewelry store chain may wish it had never made such a fuss.
In a well-publicized trademark fight between the two companies, Tiffany is now at risk of losing its trademark on the term “Tiffany setting.” U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain in Manhattan on January 17 held that a jury could reasonably find that the term is generic and the trademark invalid. The ruling denied Tiffany’s request for summary judgment on the trademark’s validity.
