Confidential Settlement in Antitrust Case Against Formula One

In Formula One Licensing B.V. v. Purple Interactive Limited, SSH represented a London, England based defendant who operated the most popular web magazine covering Formula 1 motor racing. Plaintiff claimed that our client's formula1.com and f1.com internet magazine infringed Plaintiff's alleged rights in the terms formula 1, f1, and formula one and that our clients violated federal cyber squatting law through registration of various domain names. SSH counter sued Plaintiffs alleging violations of the Sherman Act. The antitrust claims involved both conspiracy in restraint of trade and illegal monopolization claims, all pertaining to the operation, management, and internet presence of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The counterclaim defendants included Formula One Management and the Federation Internationale de Automobile, the worldwide sanctioning authority for motorsport. After successfully defeating counterclaim defendants' motion to dismiss and a motion for partial summary judgment on Plaintiff's claims against defendant, and after discovery that took SSH all around the world, the case resulted in a confidential settlement only a few weeks before trial.