(United States Ninth Circuit) - Affirmed a judgment of liability under the Lanham Act for reverse passing off. At trial,a jury found that a manufacturer of industrial tires had arranged to obtain a competing manufacturer's tires with the labels removed and used the tires to solicit trade from one of the competitor's customers. The Ninth Circuit affirmed a judgment that these actions violated the Lanham Act, which prohibits conduct that would confuse consumers as to the origin, or sponsorship,or approval of goods or services. The panel's opinion also addressed other issues including trade dress validity.
Source: findlaw.com