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MINNEAPOLIS FIRM ENJOINED FROM ISSUING COPIES OF NEW DOLLAR COIN

WASHINGTON, D.C. - A federal court has issued a preliminary injunction to prohibit a Minneapolis company from marketing and selling replicas of the new Sacagawea dollar coin, the Justice Department announced today. Beside enjoining the company for infringing on the coin's copyright, the U.S. Mint also won a preliminary injunction to prohibit the Washington Mint's infringement of the United States Mint's registered trademark.

The final order for the preliminary injunction, which is expected shortly, will prohibit the Minneapolis company and its successors or agents from producing, advertising, or selling any replica of the new dollar coin that it currently produces or has produced in the past. The preliminary injunction also will prohibit the company from using the "Washington Mint" trade name, the registered trademark, "The Washington Mint LLC," and the Internet domain name "washingtonmint.com" in connection with advertising, marketing or sale or any product or replica of the United States Mint, unless the use is accompanied by a disclaimer of any association with the United States government.

"The court's action will protect American consumers from deceptive practices and safeguard the integrity of United States minted coins," said David W. Ogden, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Civil Division.

The court will issue a final order for the preliminary injunction as soon as it approves the language for the disclaimer. The suit was filed last November in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis.

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