Brooks Brothers drops trademark suit against Rochester biz
After more than a year of legal jousting, Bubbles by Brooks can keep its name.
The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reports that high-end clothier Brooks Brothers has dropped a suit against the Rochester maker of therapeutic soaps, which claimed that the name Bubbles by Brooks infringed on its trademark.
The Star Tribune has been on the case of Amy Brooks and her small business for a year. Brooks, of Rochester, sells handcrafted soaps that are designed to reduce skin irritation to cancer patients as they go through therapy. A cancer survivor herself, Brooks has been selling soap under the name Bubbles by Brooks for more than 10 years.
A year ago, the Star Tribune did a piece on Brooks as victim of what some lawyers call "trademark bullying."
When the Strib reached Brooks Thursday, she expressed gratitude, especially for the legal representation that came to her rescue.
The Minneapolis firm of Fredrikson & Byron picked up the case when Brooks faced legal fees of up to $200,000 to fight the case to the end.
“As a small business without representation," Brooks tells the paper, "my voice would have never been heard.”
