RAPAPORT... The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio validated a jewelry ring copyright belonging to Tacori Enterprises of Glendale, California, and ordered Rego Manufacturing of Bucyrus, Ohio, to pay $650,000 in attorney fees and disgorgement of profits. Christie, Parker & Hale, the law firm that represented the prevailing party, added in a statement that the judge permanently enjoined Rego from copying Tacori products, or infringing upon the trade dress -- i.e., the characteristics of the visual appearance or that of the packaging -- of Tacori jewelry.

"The settlement also found that Rego non-willfully infringed on Tacori copyrights when it purchased certain rings from Beverlly Fine Jewellery Company Limited, of Hong Kong," according to Christie, Parker & Hale's statement. "The copyrighted rings each contain Tacori's signature crescent designs....Rego argued that Tacori Enterprises' copyright and trade dress claims were not valid, alleging that the ring designs were not original, and that similar designs have existed 'for thousands of years.' The Court rejected this argument, finding that the ring design was 'independently created' and 'original' to Tacori."





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