Apparently Google has had enough of Leo Stoller‘s shenanigans. It’s suing him. The complaint is available here.
On January 19, 2007, Google, Inc. commenced a civil action in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against several of Leo Stoller’s companies, seeking injunctive relief, damages, attorney’s fees, and costs, arising out of the “fraudulent scheme” of Defendants and “their alleged principal, Leo Stoller.” According to the Complaint, the scheme involves “falsely claiming trademark rights for the purpose of harassing and attempting to extort money out of legitimate commercial actors, both large and small.
The 25-page Complaint, accompanied by nearly 200 pages of exhibits, charges the Defendants with violation of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), 18 U.S. C. Sec. 1961 et. seq., of Section 43(a) of the Lanham Act, and of the law of unfair competition.
Stoller’s response is here.
While the complaint is, in my opinion, fairly boiler-plate, I highly recommend the exhibits attached to the complaint – in paticular the July 14, 2006 letter from the TTAB to Mr. Stoller. It’s Exhibit E to the complaint.
[...] Stoller, that is. We posted about him in January 2007, here. In a nutshell, Mr. Stoller has been repeatedly admonished – and sanctioned – by the [...]