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Competiting Bankruptcy Lawyers In Trademark Litigation Over INFOTAPES.

MILWAUKEE, April 29, 2009 -- Two competing bankruptcy law firms have become entangled in a ongoing dispute for the trademark INFOTAPES culminating in a federal lawsuit.

Bankruptcy attorney Peter Geraci has filed trademark infringement action in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin against fellow bankruptcy attorney Robert Everhart and his firm.

The complaint states Geraci founded the Law Offices of Peter Francis Geraci in 1977 and has focused on consumer bankruptcies during that time. He claims to have started using the trademark INFOTAPES at least as early as 1980. He also claims to have registered the domain name www.infotapes.com in December 1998 and has used the site to promote his law practice.

Geraci registered the mark INFOTAPES with the states of Wisconsin and Illinois in 2002 and Minnesota in 2007. The records maintained by the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO) state that Geraci filed an application to registered the mark INFOTAPES on February 28, 2007. Geraci's application was suspended, citing an intent to use application filed by Everhart for the mark **INFO TAPES ** on August 25, 2005 in connection with bankruptcy legal services.

Mr. Geraci is a resident of Cook County, Illinois and his firm maintains offices in Madison, Wauwatosa, Racine, and Greenfield, Wisconsin. According to the pleadings, Everhart is a resident of Minnesota and maintains offices in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

The pleading filed by Geraci contains counts of trademark infringement, false designation of origin, federal trademark dilution and unfair competition.