NOTUS’ plan to rebrand as the Star was put on hold Tuesday after a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order in response to The Washington Star’s trademark complaint.
In new court documents obtained by TheWrap, Judge Rossie D. Alston Jr. granted the TRO that would prevent NOTUS’ rebrand to the Star until a July 22 hearing, where the court is set to consider a preliminary injunction. This means NOTUS cannot launch or advertise its rebrand for the time being.
After The Washington Star sued NOTUS for trademark infringement over the announced name change, Judge Alston found that The Washington Star was likely to succeed in its suit, given the outlet owns the federally registered moniker and has used it since 2023.
Additionally, the judge concluded that there could be consumer confusion over the rebrand, and even cited posts from news outlets and social media that described the name change as a revival of the Washington Star paper.
Alston also called out NOTUS’ prior attempts to purchase the trademark, writing, “Although not a critical consideration here, Plaintiff has also provided evidence that Defendant had actual knowledge of Plaintiff’s rights in the Mark—specifically, the email communications regarding the attempt to purchase the Mark earlier this year—and then chose to use a mark with substantial similarity to the Mark that it had failed to purchase.”
In response to the judge’s order, Dovid Efune, publisher of the Washington Star, said in a statement to the Washington Post, “This ruling reinforces our focus on what matters most: reviving a legendary American institution and returning a much-needed voice in our nation’s capital.”
A representative for NOTUS did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment. Though, a spokesperson for NOTUS did previously hit back at the complaint, noting in a statement to media, “The entity does not and cannot own the word ‘Star,’ which has been used by and associated with dozens of media publications for over 100 years … The entity itself only even claims to have recently adopted ‘The Washington Star,’ decades after numerous other ‘Star’ publications have been using ‘Star’ marks.”
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