WASHINGTON - eTradeWire -- Snell & Wilmer is pleased to announce that Managing IP awarded the firm "Impact Case of the Year" for its groundbreaking work for Lotte International America in Ezaki Glico v Lotte International America. The 16^th annual Managing IP Awards provided an opportunity for leading firms and individuals behind recent innovative and challenging intellectual property work to highlight their accomplishments to the legal community as a whole.

Washington, D.C. partners John J. Dabney (https://www.swlaw.com/people/john_dabney) and Mary D. Hallerman (https://www.swlaw.com/people/mary_hallerman) represent international confectionery company Lotte International America in a high-profile trade dress infringement suit. Ezaki Glico sued Lotte alleging that Lotte infringed Ezaki's federally registered and common law rights for a product configuration comprised of a cookie stick. The case concerns the extent a food item can be protected as product configuration trade dress and involved the intersection of trade dress and patent law. The United States District Court for New Jersey entered summary judgment in favor of Lotte, holding that the configuration was functional and thus invalid as a matter of law. The United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit later affirmed the District Court's entry of summary judgment.

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In addition to the Impact Case of the Year award, John Dabney was named to the shortlist of winners for Practitioner of the Year (Litigation) for the DC Metro Area.

"It is a true honor to be named the Impact Case of the Year winner at this year's Managing IP Awards," said Dabney. "We appreciate the recognition for our hard work on this case."

John Dabney has more than 20 years of experience representing companies throughout the United States in trademark, copyright, false advertising and unfair competition litigation. He has served as lead counsel in more than 100 federal court actions and in many cases before the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board.

Mary Hallerman focuses her practice on trademark, trade dress, unfair competition, false advertising, and copyright litigation. She regularly represents clients in federal trial and appellate courts throughout the United States and the Trademark Trial Appeal Board as well as in domain name disputes before the World Intellectual Property Organization.