Fiat Chrysler “first sale” defense is revived in Bluetooth trademark case

On April 6, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave Fiat Chrysler (FCA US LLC) a new chance to argue that it did not violate a Bluetooth standards organization's trademark rights by using the Bluetooth name without permission and sent the case back to a Seattle federal court after finding a judge wrongly rejected defense arguments.

 In the case, Bluetooth SIG argued FCA violated its trademark rights by marketing the entertainment platforms in Fiat, Jeep, Chrysler, and other cars as being Bluetooth capable without going through its verification process, however FCA said it bought the systems from companies that had verified them with Bluetooth SIG, and according to the trademark “first sale” doctrine, it shouldn’t be legally liable for infringement.