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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURTSOUTHERN DISTRICT OF NEW YORK---------------------------------------- THERAPY PRODUCTS, INC. d/b/a ERCHONIAMEDICAL,Plaintiff,-v-LIONEL BISSOON, M.D., d/b/aMESOTHERAPIE & ESTETIK, MERIDIANAMERICA MEDICALS, INC., MERIDIANMEDICAL INC., and MERIDIAN CO., LTD.,Defendants.----------------------------------------X:::::::::::::X07 Civ. 8696 (DLC)OPINION & ORDERAppearances:For Plaintiff:James Daniel PetruzziMason & Petruzzi4900 Woodway, Suite 745Houston, TX 77056Michael A. CornmanElliot Wesley LipinsSchweitzer Cornman Gross & Bondell LLP292 Madison Ave, 19th FloorNew York, NY 10017For Defendants:Kristen McCallionRaymond CastelloFish & Richardson P.C.153 E. 53rd St., 52nd FloorNew York, NY 10022DENISE COTE, District Judge:Plaintiff Therapy Products, Inc. d/b/a Erchonia Medical(“Erchonia”) and defendants Lionel Bissoon, M.D., d/b/aMesotherapie & Estetik, Meridian Co., Ltd., Meridian Medical

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2Inc. and Meridian America Medicals, Inc. (collectively,“Meridian”) manufacture and market laser devices for medicaluse. Erchonia and Meridian have used the term “lipolaser” inconnection with their respective low-level lasers designed forliposuction procedures. Erchonia has sued Meridian fortrademark infringement and false advertising, and Meridian hasmoved for summary judgment. For the reasons stated below,Meridian’s motion is granted.BACKGROUNDThe undisputed facts of record, or, where disputed, takenin the light most favorable to Erchonia, establish thefollowing. In 2001, Erchonia developed its lipolaser,

a medicallaser that applies low-level light to the skin’s surface as partof a process to remove cellular fat content. The lipolaser isused before liposuction to liquefy the fat.

According toErchonia’s expert, Dr. William B. Locander, the term “lipolaser”suggests a “fat laser machine,”

and is an approximate literaltranslation of “fat laser.”

When this Opinion refers to the parties’ lipolasers, it usesthe term not in a trademark sense, but to describe certainproducts.

The lipolaser is also used for lipoplasty. Liposuction andlipoplasty refer to essentially the same procedures and are usedinterchangeably in this Opinion.

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3Erchonia’s Use of the Mark “Lipolaser”Erchonia has introduced little physical evidence to showhow it has used the term “lipolaser” with its product. Evidencedepicting the product itself, promotional materials, salesfigures, and sales documents show sporadic use of the term.Instead, Erchonia relies principally on assertions by ErchoniaPresident Steven Shanks (“Shanks”) that Erchonia hasconsistently used the term “lipolaser” in a trademark sensesince its coinage in 2001.Erchonia’s lipolaser consists of two main components: ahandset, which the physician uses to operate the instrument, anda probe, which emits a laser. The top of the handset is acircle with a rectangular LCD digital display screen in themiddle; the bottom of the handset is a stylized rectangulartouch key pad, resembling the shape of the body of a guitar.Erchonia has submitted three undated exhibits with photographsof the product bearing some version of the term “lipolaser.”One exhibit is a photograph of an overlay decal designed tobe used on Erchonia’s lipolaser handset. On the overlay for thecircular part of the handset, above the space for the LCDdisplay screen is the word “ERCHONIA” and Erchonia’s logo: amassive, block-letter “E” placed against a colored circle (“ELogo”). Below the space for the LCD display screen is the

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