Pride Family Brands Sues Woodard Furniture, Carl's Patio

May 15, 2012  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Casual Furniture on May 16, 2012

Casual furniture supplier Pride Family Brands has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Woodard Furniture, Carl's Patio, Carl's Patio West and Woodard's vice president of design.

The suit, filed in Miami Federal District Court, alleges patent infringement and violation of trade dress along with disclosure of trade secrets by Woodard, Carl's Patio, Carl's Patio West and Scott Coogan, Woodard's vice president of design.

 "We filed this case for a very simple reason. Pride Family Brands' property is being knowingly and unfairly exploited," said Steve Lowsky, president of Pride Family Brands. "Pride is one of the casual furniture industry's leaders in driving and managing innovation and we place a high priority on protecting this innovation."  

Lowsky said the company takes its patent rights for all of their uniquely designed patio furniture seriously and will not tolerate the unauthorized copying of designs. "Our designs are one of our core assets and each represents a tremendous investment of time and money," he said. "By the filing of this lawsuit today, we want to signal that we will do whatever the law allows to protect our patents, designs and the customer good will we have built and continue to enjoy today."