Meteoro Amusement Corp. v. Six Flags

Meteoro Amusement Corp. (plaintiff), incorporated in New Mexico with its main office in Lansing, New York, held a patent on an amusement-park ride and shopped the technology to various companies, including Six Flags, Inc. (SFI) (defendant), a Delaware corporation headquartered in Oklahoma City. After SFI announced a new roller coaster using similar technology, Meteoro sued for trademark infringement in the Northern District of New York. SFI moved to transfer venue under 28 U.S.C. Section 1404(a) to Oklahoma, California, or the Southern District of New York. Meteoro's key witnesses (its CEO and another witness) lived in New York and New Mexico, while SFI's design-and-manufacturing witnesses were in Oklahoma and Utah; the roller coaster itself was in California, though the parties disputed whether the jury needed to see it in person. Meteoro also argued SFI's greater resources meant it should bear any inconvenience.