Financial advisers in dispute over ‘quarterback’ mark
New Jersey-based Jalinski Advisory Group (JAG), which operates the “Financial Quarterback” brand, has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against a rival which it says has unlawfully used the mark.
In the suit, filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York yesterday, July 18, JAG claimed that Edelman Financial Services had used the ‘Financial Quarterback’ mark without permission, along with other “confusingly similar phrases” such as ‘Personal Finance Quarterback’.
JAG owns a US trademark for ‘Financial Quarterback’ (number 3782665), covering financial planning and investment advisory services in class 36.
The company also owns marks for ‘The Financial Quarterback’ in classes 9 and 36, which cover electronic newsletters and business management consulting.
According to JAG, Edelman has willingly used the ‘Financial Quarterback’ mark in bad faith.
“JAG is entitled to injunctive relief and is also entitled to recover their profits, JAG’s non-duplicative actual damages, enhanced profits and damages, and costs and reasonable attorneys’ fees,” the suit claimed.
The New Jersey company also accused Edelman of unfair competition and trademark dilution.
In a statement sent to WIPR, Ric Edelman, co founder of Edelman, said that "this lawsuit is baseless and its claims are absurd".
JAG has been actively defending the trademark over the past number of years in court.
It has sued numerous financial services companies for trademark infringement related to the ‘Financial Quarterback”’registration.
JAG settled a trademark suit with Financial Architects at the US District Court for the Central District of California in March this year.
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