Los Angeles – Jersey Shore star Paul DelVecchio a/k/a “Pauly D” was recently sued in Connecticut for $4 million in a trademark infringement lawsuit.  The plaintiff is Paul Lis, a Connecticut DJ who has alleged that his DJ business has been destroyed due to confusion between his long term use of DJ Paulie and the MTV star’s more recent use of Pauly D. 

Lis registered the DJ Paulie trademark on January 12, 2010 and alleges use since 1973.  Lis’ attorney claims that the more recent Jersey Shore TV show and DelVecchio’s use of Pauly D “wiped him off the face of the map” as it is now extremely difficult to find any references to Lis online compared to Pauly D. 

Lis originally sent a cease-and-desist letter to Mr. DelVecchio and MTV asking them to stop promoting Mr. DelVecchio as “DJ Pauly D” but Mr. DelVecchio and MTV both ignored the request.  Instead, Mr. DelVecchio filed two trademark applications for DJ Pauly D but both applications (click here and here) have been refused by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office due to a likelihood of confusion with Mr. Lis’ prior trademark registration for DJ Paulie. 

Jose Rojas, Mr. Lis’ attorney, said of the lawsuit: “The reality television show (follows) a group of young adults pursuing a debauched lifestyle suggestive of loose morals, violence, intoxication and liberal profanity — the exact opposite of the reputation the Plaintiff, ‘DJ Paulie’ (has) spent decades cultivating”. 

Mr. DelVecchio is currently filming the fifth season of the Jersey Shore.