
Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. v. Bucci
United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
42 U.S.P.Q.2d 1430 (1997)
Relevant factsFree
Richard Bucci (defendant), an anti-abortion activist, registered plannedparenthood.com and used it to promote an anti-abortion book, without earning any money from book sales through the site; Planned Parenthood Federation of America (plaintiff) sued under the Lanham Act, alleging Bucci used its mark intending to damage its reputation and confuse internet users seeking its actual services, while Bucci argued his use was noncommercial and thus outside the Lanham Act's reach.
IssueFree
Whether the registration and use of a domain name incorporating another party's trademark qualifies as commercial activity under the Lanham Act.
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