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Ezaki Glico Co. v. Lotte International America Corp.

Petition for certiorari denied on November 1, 2021

Docket No. Op. Below Argument Opinion Vote Author Term
20-1817 3rd Cir. N/A N/A N/A N/A OT 2021

Issue: (1) Whether trade dress is "functional" if it is "essential to the use or purpose of the article" or "affects the cost or quality of the article," as the Supreme Court and nine circuit courts have held, or if it is merely "useful" and "nothing more," as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit held below; and (2) whether the presence of alternative designs serving the same use or purpose creates a question of fact with respect to functionality, where the product"s design does not affect cost or quality and is not claimed in a utility patent.

SCOTUSblog Coverage

DateProceedings and Orders (key to color coding)
06/24/2021Petition for a writ of certiorari filed. (Response due July 29, 2021)
07/19/2021Motion to extend the time to file a response from July 29, 2021 to August 30, 2021, submitted to The Clerk.
07/20/2021Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is extended to and including August 30, 2021.
07/29/2021Brief amicus curiae of Mondelez Global LLC filed.
07/29/2021Brief amicus curiae of Intellectual Property Owners Association filed.
07/29/2021Brief amicus curiae of American Intellectual Property Law Association filed.
07/29/2021Brief amicus curiae of The International Trademark Association filed.
08/13/2021Motion to extend the time to file a response from August 30, 2021 to September 29, 2021, submitted to The Clerk.
08/16/2021Motion to extend the time to file a response is granted and the time is further extended to and including September 29, 2021.
09/29/2021Brief of respondents Lotte International America Corp., et al. in opposition filed.
10/12/2021Reply of petitioners Ezaki Glico Kabushiki Kaisha, d/b/a Ezaki Glico Co., Ltd., et al. filed. (Distributed)
10/13/2021DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 10/29/2021.
11/01/2021Petition DENIED.
11/23/2021Petition for Rehearing filed.
12/01/2021DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 1/7/2022.
12/13/2021Rescheduled.
02/23/2022DISTRIBUTED for Conference of 3/18/2022.
03/21/2022Rehearing DENIED.