Joe Moinian Slapped With Suit
Clever little diversion, Joe Moinian! The same day the real estate mogul's son and heir apparent was treated to a splashy story in the Observer, his real estate company was hit with a lawsuit over its latest development, 95 Wall Street. It seems the name that Moinian picked for the glitzy financial district building, Dwell95, isn't sitting well with the home design magazine that goes by the same name. Yesterday afternoon California-based Dwell filed suit against Moinian in US District Court, alleging that Moinian's development—which was designed by Philippe Starck and officially launched on Monday—violates a trademark held by the magazine since 1999. The mag argues that not only did Moinian rip off the name, his company also "depicted this trademark using a font and style that are nearly indistinguishable from the font and style used by Dwell." Today's suit wasn't a surprise for the Iranian-born tycoon. According to the legal papers, Dwell contacted Moinian to try and settle the matter back in March, and later engaged in "face-to-face" settlement talks with Moinian's company but never reached an agreement. And while the suit doesn't specify a dollar amount that Dwell is seeking, it's worth noting that they're asking for "three times Defendants' profits from its use of the Dwell trademark," which could add up in a hurry when you're marketing $2,700-a-month studios! The full lawsuit below.