Trademark case: Summit Ice Melt Systems, Inc. v. HotEdge, LLC, USA

On appeal, the district court holding that Summit Ice Melt Systems was unlikely to prevail in the lawsuit over a competitor was affirmed, given the sophistication of buyers for their pricy systems and the weakness of Summit’s mark.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit declined to reverse the district court’s refusal to grant a preliminary injunction to Summit Ice Melt Systems barring competitor HotEdge from using branding with the term "PRO," a registered trademark owned by Summit in connection with ice melting systems. The appellate court held that the district court had not abused its discretion. Further, utilizing the eight-factor test of AMF Inc. v. Sleekcraft Boats, the appellate court found that consumer confusion was unlikely (Summit Ice Melt Systems, Inc. v. HotEdge, LLC, No. 25-914 (9th Cir. Oct. 14, 2025)).

Case date: 14 October 2025
Case number: No. 25-914
Court: United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit

A full summary of this case has been published on Kluwer IP Law