MGM Files Copyright Infringement Suit
MGM Mirage (MGM: 11.75 -1.34%), filed a lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas against Ronnie Katzin of Tarzana, Calif., and his web site newyorknewyork.com. The suit alleges that the website infringes on the New York New York casino trademarks.
Attorneys for the Las Vegas based hotel casino operator, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, alleges the internet site is cybersquatting. Katzin’s site uses the phrase new New York New York, in an effort to promote New York City, and provides no disclaimer that the website is not affiliated with the gaming company.
The website also includes an image of the Las Vegas based gaming property and when clicked on redirects the sites user to a website, other than the hotels official site, enabling them to book hotel reservations at the Las Vegas property.
The lawsuit complains that “defendants have and/or had a bad faith intent to profit from plaintiff’s New York-New York marks”.
Katzin, removed the logo from his site and posted a comment denying the allegations stating that he obtained the domain name in 1996, before the New York New York hotel had opened. He insisting that prior to the filing of the lawsuit, he had no idea MGM Mirage had a problem with the site.
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