Tournament of Roses owes city of Pasadena $400,000 in ‘Rose Bowl’ trademarks case

The Match of Roses’ try to guard its possession of the “Rose Bowl Recreation” and “Rose Bowl” emblems from town of Pasadena turned pricey Friday when a U.S. district choose ordered it to pay greater than $400,000 of town’s legal professional charges after its lawsuit had been dismissed with prejudice.

The battle stemmed from the Match of Roses’ choice in December 2020 to maneuver the annual New 12 months’s Day bowl sport, referred to as the “Granddaddy of Them All,” to AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as a result of California’s stringent Covid-19 protocols would not have allowed followers to attend the School Soccer Playoff semifinal sport.

The grasp license settlement between the Match of Roses and Pasadena requires the sport to be held within the Rose Bowl stadium besides within the occasion of a pressure majeure that enables for the sport to be moved.

The matchup between Alabama and Notre Dame was the primary Rose Bowl performed outdoors of Pasadena since 1941, when the sport was held in Durham, N.C., due to World Conflict II.

The Match of Roses used its Rose Bowl emblems whereas staging the sport in Texas. The break from custom produced consternation amongst metropolis leaders and vested events all through Pasadena, sparking the Match of Roses’ submitting of the lawsuit in February 2021.

The Match of Roses sought from the court docket “declaratory reduction,” stating town “has no possession curiosity in both the Rose Bowl Recreation mark or the Rose Bowl mark to be used in reference to the Rose Bowl Recreation” and stating “if a pressure majeure occasion happens below the MLA that forestalls the Rose Bowl Recreation from being performed on the Rose Bowl stadium on sport day regardless of the events’ commercially cheap efforts, then [the Tournament of Roses] can host its Rose Bowl Recreation wherever with out [Pasadena’s] consent.”

On July 12, 2021, Choose Andre Birotte Jr. dismissed the primary request for reduction as a result of town of Pasadena didn’t dispute that it has no possession curiosity within the emblems and dismissed the second as a result of it “rests upon contingent future occasions that will not happen as anticipated.”

The choose dismissed the remainder of the case — which included accusations of trademark/unfair competitors, false promoting and breach of contract — in its entirety.

The Match of Roses filed a discover of attraction to the ninth Circuit Court docket of Attraction, and Sheppard Mullin, the agency representing town of Pasadena, moved for restoration of town’s legal professional’s charges. Friday the court docket granted the movement and awarded town $408,923 to be paid by the Match of Roses.

“I’m hopeful that now the events can transfer past this litigation, shift to celebrating the stadium’s a hundredth anniversary this summer season, and work collectively towards one other 100 years of Rose Bowl video games within the Rose Bowl stadium,” mentioned Steve Madison, who sits because the Pasadena Metropolis Council consultant on the Rose Bowl Working Co.

Regardless of having its case dismissed, the method did affirm for the Match of Roses that it has full possession over the sport’s emblems.

“Submitting this lawsuit was not one thing we needed to do, however defending our model, emblems and mental property was necessary to the long-term viability of our Rose Bowl Recreation,” the Match of Roses mentioned in an announcement. “Town’s concession and the court docket’s acknowledgment that we personal all rights to the Rose Bowl Recreation and its marks completed this objective as we have been profitable in defending that mental property.

“We stay up for placing this section behind us and transferring ahead with our long-standing partnership with town officers. At the moment, our focus is solely on internet hosting the very best Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Recreation on Jan. 2, 2023 … for the residents of Pasadena and the world.”