The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York recently dismissed Liberty Tax Services’ lawsuit against AMC, according to a report on
JD Supra. The suit alleged trademark and trade dress infringement, trademark dilution, and defamation.
The accused party, AMC, used the name “Sweet Liberty Tax Services” (“SLTS”) in Season 6 of the TV series “Better Call Saul.” Liberty Tax Services claimed that this constituted infringement on their trademark and had defamed their services.
The case arose from a storyline in the series where a character named Craig Kettleman, previously imprisoned for embezzling $1.6 million, starts a tax business named SLTS. The character uses this business as a means to launder money.
The court decided in favor of the defendants, stating their use of “Sweet Liberty Tax Services” remained within the bounds of legal and fair use. This decision is a notable one as it probes the intersection of law and creative liberties in the media industry.