In a September 23, 2013 ruling, Judge Andrew L. Carter denied plaintiff Expressway Music, Inc.'s motion to dismiss defendant Slep-Tone Entertainment Corp.'s trademark infringement and unfair competition counterclaims. Slep-Tone alleged that Expressway "acquired or made unauthorized duplicates of Slep-Tone's karoke accompaniment tracks. These unauthorized media- and format-shifted duplicates were marked with Slep-Tone's 'SoundChoice' trademark and distinctive trade dress." The Court found that these allegations were sufficient to meet the Iqbal standard and state trademark and unfair competition claims.Expressway argued that the real thrust of Slep-Tone's complaint was to challenge the copying of the media- and format-shifted recordings, which is in the nature of copyright infringement, not trademark infringement. Judge Carter noted that the "case may toe the line between a trademark claim attempting an 'end run around the copyright laws' and a viable trademark claim," but that "regardless of the copyright status of these videos, Slep-Tone alleges facts about the misuse of its trademark on products it did not create, namely because Slep-Tone's registered trade dress and trademark appear on Expressway's media- and format-shifted tracks. These are cognizable claims under the Lanham Act."
