Inside Trademarks Trademark Analytics, Research & Strategy

A federal court in Wisconsin issued a preliminary injunction ruling on Thursday that not only secures Wolf Appliance, Inc.'s trademark in its red knobs on ranges, but also temporarily prevents its main high-end kitchen appliance rival Viking Range Corporation from marketing or selling red knobs on their ranges and range tops.  The court gave the companies until Friday, February 19, to file briefs on the appropriate amount for an injunction bond.

According to Inside Trademarks Analytics (ITA), this injunction - particularly if made permanent - means a sustainable competitive advantage for Wolf in the high-end kitchen appliance market, where these two companies compete for customers willing to pay $6000 or more for a designer stove or gas range. 

This competitve advantage directly results from Wolf's Red Knob trademark registration and, more importantly, its strategic use of the Red Knob trademark as part of its marketing strategy.  ITA estimates that the Red Knob trademark exceeds $40 million in value, and projects that continued strategic use of this trademark will contribute to hundreds of millions of dollars in sales revenue for Wolf over the next ten years.