U.S. District Court Denies Trace Minerals Research’s Motion Seeking International Ownership of Trademarks
November 18, 2007
(November 16, 2007, Ogden, UT) —On November 15, 2007 in U.S. District Court for the State of Utah, Judge Tena Campbell denied a motion for summary judgment and declaratory judgment submitted by Trace Minerals Research, L.C. (TMR) seeking ownership of the international rights to certain trademarks including ConcenTrace® and other marks.
“We are pleased that the court denied TMR’s motion for summary judgment, which sought ownership of the international trademarks as a matter of law. We were not surprised by the court’s ruling. We now look forward to the opportunity to present the full case on its merits,” said Bruce Anderson, president/CEO of Mineral Resources International, Inc. (MRI).
TMR was the former distributor of MRI products exclusively for the U.S. health-food-store market. Both companies have been engaged in litigation for more than a year.
“We have adamantly maintained—and will continue to — that MRI owns the marks internationally. The Anderson family and MRI established and, over several years, invested millions of dollars in cultivating international markets for MRI’s products.” stated Anderson.
The court also ruled on a lesser issue denying MRI’s motion to dismiss a portion of TMR’s lawsuit for failure to properly state their claim. The court ruled they had met the minimum requirements.
“The court’s ruling is only a procedural matter and has nothing to do with whether the claim has any merit or not.” said Anderson.
About Mineral Resources International, Inc.:
Founded through a parent company in 1969 by the Anderson family, Mineral Resources International, Inc. (MRI) (www.mineralresourcesint.com) specializes in developing, manufacturing, and distributing noteworthy nutritional supplements in liquid, tablet, and powder delivery forms integrating naturally occurring minerals and trace minerals harvested from Utah’s Great Salt Lake. Through its close relationship with Northshore Limited Partnership, its exclusive supplier and the only government-inspected, food-grade, solar evaporation mineral harvester on the Great Salt Lake, MRI, Inc. goes to great lengths to ensure an all-natural mineral and trace mineral product while maintaining consistent standardization, concentration, and balance in each lot of product produced. MRI, Inc. manufactures a complete line of innovative dietary supplements ranging from multi-vitamins to targeted nutritional formulas using bioactive, ionic minerals. In addition, MRI, Inc. provides a complete portfolio of natural ionic mineral ingredients. MRI’s products are sold worldwide through a variety of distribution channels including health food stores, salons and estheticians, and natural health care practitioners.
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