LOS ANGELES – A Hawthorne organizational product designer alleges Michaels copied its LifePlanner product.

EC Design filed a complaint on Jan. 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Michaels Stores Inc. and Craft Smith LLC alleging copyright infringement.

According to the complaint, the plaintiff alleges that it manufactures LifePlanner organizers and that it had met with the Michaels Stores Inc. to discuss a partnership, but disagreed on royalty rates and licensing fees. The plaintiff holds Michaels Stores Inc. and Craft Smith LLC responsible because the defendants allegedly made Recollections Spiral Planner organizers that have a design that is confusingly similar to the plaintiff's organizers.

The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks injunctive relief against the defendants, order the defendants to deliver up for destruction all infringing materials and products, all damages and profits, actual damages, all legal fees plus interest and any other relief as the court deems just. It is represented by Britt L. Anderson and Clayton R. LaPoint of K&L Gates LLP in Palo Alto and by Seth A. Gold of the same firm in Los Angeles.

U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Case number 8:17-cv-00025-DOC-KES