Lavatec Laundry Technology Wins Trademark Suit

Following a bench trial earlier this year, a federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut ruled on Sept. 3 that Lavatec Laundry Technology GmbH and its U.S. subsidiary, Lavatec Laundry Technology Inc., respectively, own the rights to the use of the trademark term “Lavatec” in connection with commercial laundry equipment sold in the United States. A rival claimant for ownership of the trademark has promised to appeal the ruling and says the decision won’t impact its daily operations.

The two parties to the lawsuit, the successor to the original German laundry equipment manufacturer, Lavatec Laundry Technology GmbH, and a U.S.-based laundry service parts provider, Lavatec Inc., each claimed the exclusive right to use the Lavatec trademark in the United States, following a restructuring of the German laundry equipment company’s operations in 2009. Click here to read the 22-page ruling issued in Bridgeport, CT, by District Court Judge Stefan R. Underhill.

Mark Thrasher, president of Lavatec Laundry Technology Inc. (LLT), Beacon Falls, CT, said in a news release that he’s pleased with the court’s ruling in the lawsuit that the company filed in 2013. “It clarifies for customers and the marketplace the one Lavatec brand serving their laundry system needs – manufacturing and sales, supported with parts, technology and best-in-class services around the world.”

Bruce Burmann, vice president of sales for Lavatec Inc., Naugatuck, CT, said in an e-mail to Textile Services Weekly that the ruling by no means settles the matter. “The decision on the ownership of the Lavatec trademark will definitely be appealed,” Burmann wrote. “Further, there are still unresolved issues as to the usage of the mark, and we await clarification and final ruling from the judge. It is business as usual for Lavatec Inc. with parts, service and manufacturing of laundry equipment.”