Some Lawyers Might Like This Cat Fight
The witness in U.S. District Court said nothing, but not because the cat had her tongue. She was a cat, name of Spitfire. She and her roommate Batty were electronically scanned in the courtroom to show that both had been implanted with a Trovan microchip, a device that could aid in their recovery if they were lost or stolen.
The mute testimony of the felines was part of a lawsuit brought by Trovan Ltd. against Pfizer Inc. in L.A. Trovan contends that its trademark was infringed upon when Pfizer introduced an antibiotic for humans that is also called Trovan.
Batty and Spitfire became involved when their owner, Mariel Benefiel of Corona, read that the Food and Drug Administration had concerns about possible liver damage suffered by users of the Trovan antibiotic. Benefiel, unaware that the antibiotic was unrelated to the microchip, asked Trovan Ltd. whether her cats might be in danger. Benefiel’s story was cited by the plaintiffs in an attempt to show that the duplication of the names was confusing. (If you’re confused too, don’t worry about. So am I.)
Closing arguments in this corporate cat fight are expected next week.
A PLACE WHERE AMERICANS CAN FEEL AT HOME: Rufus Baker sent along an excerpt from a cruise line’s newsletter, which attempted to answer the questions of visitors to the exotic land of Catalina (see accompanying).
MEANWHILE, OVER ON SELF-SERVE ISLAND: Jeff Stokes spotted a partially burned-out sign that no doubt echoed the sentiment of many motorists about recent gasoline price hikes (see photo).
YOU ARE BEING WATCHED: The hide-and-seek game between drivers and traffic cops is as cagey as ever. Want to play? The Web site speedtrap.com, compiled by the National Motorists Assn., lists some reported stealth positions of gendarmes, including:
* “In driveway of Dodge dealer,” Firestone Boulevard, Downey
* “Behind entrance sign” of driveway to refinery, Gaffey Street, L.A. harbor area
* “In driveway of furniture store,” Atlantic Avenue, Long Beach
* “In apartment complex driveway or at a coffee shop,” Washington Boulevard, Venice
* “Among used, parked cars that are for sale in an industrial park,” Benson Avenue, Montclair
* “In TRW parking lot,” Marine Avenue and Aviation Boulevard, Redondo Beach
* “On downside of Navy depot bridge,” Pacific Coast Highway, Seal Beach
* “In a Wienerschnitzel parking lot,” Nordhoff Street, Reseda
WORKOUT HUMOR?: Mitch Davidson overheard a well-built fellow say to his equally buffed-up buddy in a West Hollywood restaurant:
“Do you know how you can tell if someone is superficial or not? Well, if a guy works out just his upper body, then he’s superficial. If he works out both his upper and lower body, then he’s not.”
miscelLAny:
Robert West of Calabasas sent along a UCLA T-shirt he has devised, mischievously calling attention to the school’s handicapped parking scandal (see photo). West, a graduate of USC, needless to say, plans to wear it to the Trojan-Bruin game Nov. 20.
In line with the equal time provisions governing humor columnists, I’d be willing to publish a photo of a UCLA grad’s colorful depiction of a USC T-shirt (no X-rated entries, please).
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Steve Harvey can be reached by phone at (213) 23-7083, by fax at (213) 237-4712, by e-mail at steve.harvey@times.com and by mail at Metro, L.A. Times, Times Mirror Square, L.A. 90053.
