America Online v. LCGM, Inc.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
46 F. Supp. 2d 444 (1998)
Relevant factsFree
LCGM (defendant) sent millions of unsolicited pornographic-site advertisements through AOL's (plaintiff) system, forging the "from" line to read "@aol.com"; AOL received over 450,000 member complaints, presented evidence of member confusion about AOL's role, and had to upgrade its technology at significant cost, then moved for summary judgment.
IssueFree
Whether the Lanham Act prohibits falsely designating the origin of goods or services.