Corporate Catering, Inc. vs. Corporate Catering, Etc., LLC, et al

This appeal involves a dispute over the use of a defunct catering business's trade name and menu. The owner of the catering business filed suit in the Circuit Court for Davidson County seeking damages for conversion, breach of common-law copyright, and infringement of its business trade name and the distinctive names of its menu items. The trial court granted the defendants' motions for directed verdict regarding the conversion and the common-law copyright claims. After the jury returned a $12,500 verdict on the infringement of the trade name claim, the trial court granted the defendants' motion for a judgment in accordance with their motion for a directed verdict. In the alternative, the trial court, acting as thirteenth juror, set the verdict aside and granted a new trial. On this appeal, the defunct catering business asserts that the trial court erred by dismissing its claims for conversion and breach of common-law copyright. It also asserts that the trial court erred by failing to enter a judgment on the jury's verdict on the trade name claim. We have determined that the trial court decisions are supported by the law, and therefore, we affirm.