Raising Cane's has won an initial victory in a trademark lawsuit filed by the estate of Bob Marley. Marley's estate sued Raising Cane's in Massachusetts over allegedly using the title of one of Marley's most well-known songs. Raising Cane's has used the slogan "One Love" since 2001; it received a trademark in 2005. Marley's estate asserts that it owns the trademark, which it has used on clothing since 1991 and has licensed to third parties for other goods since 1999. The dispute before the Court was whether the lawsuit should remain in Massachusetts or be transferred to Louisiana.

The lawyers for Raising Cane's requested that the case be transferred to Louisiana, since only one restaurant is located on the East Coast. Raising Cane's also argued that the parties had no connection to Massachusetts and the issues had no connection to Massachusetts.

Marley's attorneys countered with the argument that one Raising Cane's is located in Boston and that many of the witnesses and evidence are located in the state of Massachusetts. Judge Stearns ruled on February 7 that the case should be transferred to Louisiana, since 40 of Raising Cane's 175 restaurants are in the Middle District of Louisiana and the headquarters of the company are in Baton Rouge. Accordingly, the case was transferred to Louisiana.

Source: http://theadvocate.com/home/8350013-125/one-love-trademark-dispute-to

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