New York Business Litigation Lawyer Blog
A supplier was found liable for selling counterfeit Fendi handbags, and after two separate lawsuits was obligated to Fendi and a retailer to whom those fake bags were sold for substantial damages. In an attempt to avoid paying those damages, the supplier turned to its insurance carrier for indemnification, based on a policy that insured the supplier against “advertising injury.”
In affirming the lower court in finding that there was no coverage for the Fendi infringement, the Second Circuit went through an instructive discussion of what advertising injury means, and what that coverage was intended to address. The court explained that New York law was clear that where policy language was ambiguous, it would be construed in favor of the insured. At the same time, the “plain language” of the policy is read in “common speech” and as reasonably expected or understood in the business community. For coverage to be found for advertising injury, the injury must have taken place as part of advertising activities and address items covered by the policy. Therefore, no coverage would be found where liability arose out of the importation, distribution or sale of infringing goods. On the other hand, a policy that covered injury from goods that were “‘marketed, distributed and sold,’” could provide coverage, at least to defend the infringement lawsuit.
In this case, the policy covered an injury arising out of (i) “oral or written publication of material that slanders or libels a person or organization or disparages a person’s or organization’s goods, products or services; (ii) oral or written publication of material that violates a person’s right of privacy; (iii) the use of another’s advertising idea in your ‘advertising;’ and (iv) infringement of another’s copyright, trade dress or slogan in your ‘advertising.’” Items (i) and (ii) were not alleged to apply, but (iii) and (iv) were. In denying coverage, the court held that the requirement that the action take place “in your advertising” required that the infringement be part of the advertisement. Here, the supplier did not advertise at all and Fendi made no claim of infringement or injury that arose out of any advertising. Injury was alleged out of sales. Thus, the supplier could not avail itself of coverage.
United States Fidelity and Guaranty Co. v. Fendi Adele S.R.L.