UFC Co-Founder Rorion Gracie Victorious in Federal Trademark Lawsuit Against Clothing Retailer

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Rorion Gracie, head of the famed Gracie jiu-jitsu family and Co-Founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), has prevailed in a nearly 2-year federal lawsuit against San Diego clothing retailer Black Silver Enterprises, Inc., which operated "GRACIE" branded clothing boutiques.

Mr. Gracie owns the federal trademark registrations for the marks GRACIE, GRACIE GEAR, and GRACIE JIU-JITSU.  He filed suit in the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in November 2009 for trademark infringement.  U.S. District Judge George H. Wu granted summary adjudication in favor of Mr. Gracie on the key issues, and rejected Black Silver's contentions that the GRACIE marks are supposedly generic and otherwise unenforceable.  The Court held that Mr. Gracie can enforce his marks against infringers.  On the eve of trial, the parties entered into a settlement agreement, the terms of which are confidential.

"I am very pleased with the result," stated Rorion Gracie.  "This lawsuit and the Court's ruling send a clear message that infringers of the GRACIE marks will not be tolerated."

Rorion Gracie was represented by Charles J. Harder of Wolf Rifkin Shapiro Schulman & Rabkin LLP in Los Angeles, California.  Mr. Harder is a trial lawyer and also Editor of ENTERTAINMENT LITIGATION a law book published by Oxford University Press.

About Rorion Gracie

Rorion Gracie, 59, of Torrance, is the oldest son of Helio Gracie, the scion of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu worldwide.  Rorion Gracie owns and operates The Gracie Academy (www.GracieAcademy.com), and in 2011 published THE GRACIE DIET book.

About the Firm

Founded in 1977, Wolf Rifkin Shapiro Schulman & Rabkin LLP is a full service litigation and corporate transactional law firm based in Los Angeles, with offices also in Las Vegas and Reno.  The firm's Intellectual Property / Entertainment Litigation group represents plaintiffs and defendants in a wide variety of matters including trademark, copyright, and right of publicity.

Contact:  Charles J. Harder, Esq.  310.478.4100 Ext. 255   [email protected]

SOURCE Wolf Rifkin Shapiro Schulman & Rabkin LLP