Notables.

News.

Archive.

Best Western Brings $1.8 Million Lawsuit Against Wyoming Hotel.

PHOENIX, February 19, 2009 -- The Best Western Hotel Chain filed suit against the Hitching Post Inn Resort in Cheyenne Wyoming seeking $1.8 million in damages.

Best Western International, Inc. ("Best Western"), organized in Arizona, operates as a non-profit membership organization for individually owned hotels throughout the United States and the world.

Named as defendants in the suit are the owners of the Hitching Post Inn Resort, Mantiff Cheyenne Hospitality LLC, Falgun Dharia, and Dr. Ram Pardeshi.

Being a member of the Best Western organization requires individual hotel owners to sign a membership agreement which requires the owners to obey the organization's bylaws in addition to paying membership fees and other assessments. In exchange, the hotel owners have access to a worldwide reservation system, benefit from worldwide marketing campaigns and are allowed to participate in collective purchasing of equipment and furnishings. Not least of all, the individual owners are allowed to display and otherwise use trademarks owned by Best Western.

Mantiff Cheyenne Hospitality LLC and Falgun Dharia allegedly entered into a membership agreement with Best Western in November 7, 2008, with Dr. Pardeshi allowed to become a voting member in Dharia place August 7, 2006.

The Hitching Post Inn Resort's membership was terminated by Best Western on or about October 23, 2007 for cause, citing failure to comply with minimum quality standards and otherwise following the articles, bylaws and rules of the organization.

As a part of a routine inspection, a Best Western representative visited the Hitching Post Inn Resort on January 15, 2008, after membership was terminated, and found the hotel displaying Best Western's trademarks. The complaint states that Best Western thereafter demanded that the owners of the Hitching Post Inn Resort remove all of Best Western's trademarks.

Again, a Best Western representative the the Hitching Post Inn Resort on January 31, 2009 and found the defendants had failed to remove billboards containing Best Western's marks and promoting the Hitching Post Inn Resort.

The complaint seeks injunctive relief and damages in connection with claims for: breach of contract, trademark infringement, unfair competition, and trademark dilution.

Best Western first adopted the BEST WESTERN mark in 1947. The pleadings state that Best Western currently owns at least 20 federally registered trademarks.