Ending 13 years of litigation, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips has agreed to pay $25 million in damages to Los Angeles businessman Stewart Resnick and his wife, Lynda, in a case that began over trademark and advertising claims related to the late Diana Spencer, Princess of Wales.
The Resnicks once owned The Franklin Mint, which produced a commemorative plate, purse, and porcelain doll using the princess’s likeness after she was killed in a 1997 car crash in Paris. Manatt and IP partner Mark Lee–representing Diana’s estate and a memorial fund set up in her name–sued The Franklin Mint for trademark dilution and false advertising, claiming that their client’s likeness had been used without permission to market memorabilia.
