The case is Roxbury Entertainment v. Penthouse Media Group, Inc. (C.D. Cal. Nov. 9):
It is well established that films are entitled to First Amendment protections. … [A] Lanham Act [false or misleading designation of origin] claim asserted against the creator of an expressive work can succeed only if the “public interest in avoiding consumer confusion outweighs the public interest in free expression.”
The [applicable Rogers v. Grimaldi] test has two prongs. The first prong requires that the defendant’s use of plaintiff’s trademark be relevant to the underlying work: “the level of relevance must merely be above zero.” If the first prong is satisfied, the Lanham Act claim is still precluded unless the use explicitly misleads consumers about the source or content of the work.
Because Defendants’ movie is an expressive work, the Rogers test provides a complete defense to all of Plaintiff’s claims. With respect to the first prong, Defendants’ use of “Route 66” is relevant to the underlying work. See Rock Star, 547 F.3d at 1100 (“[T]he level of relevance must merely be above zero.”). Defendants have introduced evidence demonstrating at least some relationship between the mental imagery associated with the term “Route 66,” e.g., road trips, cross-country travel, and the content of Defendants’ movie. Plaintiff’s argument that the association is tenuous does not controvert Defendants’ showing.
The second prong of Rogers requires the Court to evaluate whether Defendants’ use of “Route 66” explicitly misleads consumers as to the source or content of the work. Mere use, without more, is insufficient to make the use explicitly misleading. As the Ninth Circuit has explained, the relevant inquiry is whether consumers would be misled about the source or sponsorship of Defendants’ movie.
This prong of the test points directly at the purpose of trademark law, namely to “avoid confusion in the marketplace by allowing a trademark owner to prevent others from duping consumers into buying a product they mistakenly believe is sponsored by the trademark owner.” The relevant question, therefore, is [“]whether the [product] would confuse [consumers]…. In answering that question, we keep in mind … that the mere use of trademark alone cannot suffice to make such use explicitly misleading.[“] Here, there is nothing to indicate that there is any risk of Defendants’ use of the mark “duping” consumers into thinking they are buying a product sponsored by, or in any way affiliated with, Plaintiff or the 1960s television series in which it owns rights.
Accordingly, summary judgment is GRANTED in favor of Defendants on all of Plaintiff’s claims because Defendants’ use of “Route 66” in or as the title of their adult film is protected by the First Amendment.