RBS Citizens prevails at bench trial in trademark infringement case

Client(s) Citizens Financial Group, Inc., Charter One Bank, National Association and The Royal Bank of Scotland plc

Jones Day successfully represented RBS Citizens at a preliminary injunction hearing and subsequent bench trial in a trademark infringement case. In 2007, RBS Citizens announced its plan to rebrand hundreds of its CHARTER ONE bank branches in the Midwest to RBS CITIZENS. After the announcement, Citizens Banking Corporation, a billion-dollar Michigan-based bank that has used the mark CITIZENS BANK since 1871, filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. Plaintiff, a bank that had successfully obtained previous injunctions against two other banks using "citizens" as part of their names, sought the same relief against our clients. The case was tried during the first two weeks of February 2008. On May 6, 2008, the Court issued a 26 page opinion and order denying Plaintiff's request for a permanent injunction and dismissing the complaint in its entirety. The decision was a total victory for RBS Citizens.

Citizens Banking Corporation v. Citizens Financial Group, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 2:07-CV-11514 (E.D. Mich. and 6th Cir.)