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US court orders Ideal Electric to stop using Louis Allis name
The US motor manufacturer Louis Allis has obtained a preliminary injunction order from a federal court in Delaware that immediately prohibits the Ideal Electric Power Company from using or displaying Louis Allis’ federally registered trademarks for its brand name and stylised LA logo. The preliminary injunction order will continue until the court has ruled following a trial on this matter, which is expected to take place in 2025.
As well as precluding Ideal from using and displaying the Louis Allis trademarks, the preliminary injunction order also forbids Ideal from claiming to own, or in any way be associated with, Louis Allis. Ideal cannot offer or sell any goods or services bearing the Louis Allis trademarks, and Ideal cannot take any steps that create the impression that Ideal's products or services are connected to Louis Allis – which Allis says they are not. The judge also ordered Ideal to remove any references to the Louis Allis trademarks from its corporate Web site, social media postings, and other marketing and promotional materials.
At the end of June 2023, Ideal Electric claimed in press releases and through social media that it had acquired the Louis Allis large motor business. According to Louis Allis, Ideal was claiming to own certain Louis Allis trademarks and business lines, and was also falsely trying to pass itself off as the real Louis Allis and the heir to Louis Allis’ more than 100-year history.
Allis also says that Ideal set up display booths at industry events such as the 2023 Electrical Apparatus Service Association (EASA) Annual Convention, where it prominently displayed the Louis Allis name and logo.
Louis Allis responded by filing a lawsuit against Ideal for trademark infringement on 6 September, 2023 in a federal court in Delaware. The court issued its preliminary judgement on 13 October.
Louis Allis – part of the WorldWide Electric group – manufactures AC and DC electric motors and generators for large and specialty applications in Warrior, Alabama. As well as manufacturing new motors, it also inspects, repairs and overhauls motors from any manufacturer.
