Toughlove American LLC (“TLA”) filed suit this month against MTV High Noon Productions, and Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films (“Defendants”) claiming trademark infringement and false designation of origin based upon the production of a new reality show, TOUGH LOVE.

TLA, founded by two therapists, claims to have been using the mark TOUGHLOVE for peer-to-peer, self-help, and psychological counseling programs, along with educational materials about self-help since the last 70′s and gained national acclaim after its services were recommended in an Ann Landers column. It also claims to be in the development process for a television talk show. TLA has registrations for the mark TOUGHLOVE in the appropriate categories.

Notwithstanding the lawsuit, the show TOUGH LOVE aired on March 15, 2009. The show has a romance theme, and centers around several women who have had a bumpy dating life and who, for the most part, blame the opposite sex for it. The host uses a “tough love” approach to address the root of the women’s problems.

author’s note: As luck would have it, I was privy to the pilot episode of this train wreck of a show. Fans of reality dating shows will no doubt salivate over the level of public humiliation doled on these women. Perhaps TLA should add tarnishment to the claim.

Subscribe to the Cobalt Law Blog
This entry was posted by Tsan Abrahamson on Friday, March 27th, 2009 at 10:12 am and is filed under Trademarks. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.