NEW YORK — Electric EEL is addressing recent the trademark infringement suit filed against the company by Pipedream Products over the use of the “bachelorette party favors” mark.
“First and foremost, this is a trademark issue, not a patent issue,” Electric EEL owner and president Elan Rofe said. “The products they are after are a pack of napkins and a gift bag. We have not reproduced these items since we last told them we would stop. There has been such a minimal amount of sales on them, and we no longer even exhibit our bachelorette items at trade shows. We have made it clear to Pipedream that we are no longer interested in carrying and selling bachelorette products in general. We will sell down on our assortment and not bring the goods back in.”
Rofe added, “I can understand and certainly respect that they want to protect their intellectual property but there has been no malicious intent on our part at all. After the initial complaint in 2007, we changed the packaging from ‘bachelorette party favors’ to ‘bachelorette party supplies.’ Some of the remaining products in our warehouse stock may have the old packaging. We will continue to defend ourselves and cooperate to get this matter settled as amicably as possible.
“Our main priority in this industry is improving quality, creating price stability, providing true value and introducing innovative and new collections. We cannot allow small issues like the Pipedream suit to slow us down. We have a goal in the marketplace and believe we are coming closer and closer to reaching that goal.”
