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Merchant & Gould Client Receives Doubled Award in Infringement Case Against Hasbro
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Minneapolis, MN -- Merchant & Gould, an intellectual property law firm, received a litigation victory on behalf of Tucson-based inventor Michael Bowling over toy giant Hasbro Inc. On August 28 in the US District Court for the District of Rhode Island, a judge denied Hasbro’s request to set aside or reduce a Providence jury's patent infringement award of $446,182. Furthermore, the judge granted Mr. Bowling's request for 12 percent pre-judgment interest, doubling the total award to Mr. Bowling.
"Mr. Bowling came to us 10 years ago seeking a patent on his invention," said lead counsel Tony Zeuli, of Merchant & Gould. "When our patent lawyers drafted the patent, they considered how a jury or judge would view the invention. That foresight helped us greatly in explaining Mr. Bowling’s case in a persuasive manner."
In March of 2008, a Rhode Island jury found that Hasbro’s unauthorized use of Bowling’s unique dice in a 1999 edition of the Monopoly® board game warranted a substantial monetary award to fairly compensate Mr. Bowling. The judge’s order doubling that award through pre-judgment interest also speaks to the equities of this case.
Mr. Bowling was represented by Tony Zeuli and Tom Leach of Merchant & Gould, Minneapolis and Duffy, Sweeney & Scott, Providence, Rhode Island.
About Merchant & Gould
Merchant & Gould is a national intellectual property and litigation law firm with more than 100 attorneys in offices in Atlanta, Denver, Knoxville, Minneapolis, Omaha, Seattle, and Washington D.C. The firm has represented the worldwide intellectual property interests of clients in diverse industries and technologies for more than 105 years.
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