Energy Federal Credit Union

Las Vegas credit union faces copyright, trademark lawsuit

A lawsuit alleging copyright and trademark infringement has been filed against an unlikely defendant: Nevada Federal Credit Union.

The Las Vegas-based credit union, with more than 80,000 members and $677 million in loans and other assets, was sued Monday in federal court in Minnesota by a company called ChartHouse International Learning Corp. of Burnsville, Minn.

ChartHouse sells films and books about its "FISH! Philosophy," described as a set of training and motivational tools to improve work cultures.

The FISH! system helps businesses develop more connected teams, better communication and extraordinary service, the company says.

Nevada Federal Credit Union and an official there, James Vanderlip, are accused in the lawsuit of purchasing an authorized copy of a FISH! film for $908 in 2007 and then making bootleg copies of the DVD and selling them.

The film is called "FISH! – Catch the energy, release the potential" and features Seattle’s Pike Place Fish Market.

The lawsuit indicates efforts to resolve the dispute were made before the lawsuit was filed.

Contacted before the lawsuit was filed, Vanderlip told ChartHouse that he, too, was a copyright infringement victim as he had purchased and re-sold what he thought were authentic DVDs.

"I respect and share your stance on copyright infringements," Vanderlip told the company in an email. "I purchased these DVDs a few years ago in Atlanta from what I thought was ChartHouse. The people who ran the sales booth did have a ChartHouse table skirt around their table and seemed very reputable. They were conducting business outside the Atlanta Conference Center next to the CNN Center."

ChartHouse, however, charged in the lawsuit that Vanderlip’s story is "unreasonable" and that Nevada Federal Credit Union "did not conduct a reasonable investigation into the claims or challenge Vanderlip’s story."

Greg Barnes, senior vice president for marketing at the credit union, on Wednesday denied the allegations the credit union is responsible for pirated copies of the film being sold by means including eBay.

"We are aware of the lawsuit. We adamantly deny the accusations and have retained appropriate legal counsel for our defense. Nevada Federal does not, has not, nor ever will knowingly violate trademark or copyright laws, period,” Barnes said.

The suit seeks an injunction barring the defendants from violating copyright laws and infringing on ChartHouse’s trademarks; along with unspecified damages.

Former credit union president pleads guilty to bank fraud ...

Arkansas News Bureau

LITTLE ROCK — A former president of the Arkansas Employees Federal Credit Union pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal bank fraud.

Joyce Judy, 58, of North Little Rock, entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Little Rock, U.S. Attorney Christopher Thyer said in a release.

Judy will be sentenced at a later date. She could be sentenced to up to 30 years in prison and fined up to $1 million.

Judy was president of the credit union in Little Rock from February 2006 until April of this year. In October 2009, she agreed to an investment opportunity of which her contribution was to be $1 million, according to Thyer.

To make up half of the $1 million, Judy contacted a customer of the credit union and offered to invest $500,000 of his money in high-yield certificates of deposit. The customer agreed, and Judy provided him with a document purporting to be a CD, though it was later found to be fraudulent, prosecutors said.

Judy authorized the writing of a credit union check for $500,000 from the customer’s account, and she endorsed the check. The money, along with $500,000 in legitimate funds, was then deposited into an account that had been set up at another financial institution for the investment.

The money eventually was wired out of the country, without Judy’s permission.

From October 2009 until she was fired this year, Judy continued to communicate with the customer about his supposed CD, and in November 2010 she sent him about $26,000 in an effort to convince him of the validity of his CD, according to Thyer. The money came from Judy’s personal funds.

The case was investigated by the Secret Service and the FBI.

The White House Conference on Balanced National Growth & Economic Development, final report, July 1978

Code of Federal Regulations, Title 12, Banks and Banking, Pt. 600-899, Revised as of January 1, 2011

Federal securities law reporter, federal regulation of securities : laws, regulations, forms, rulings and decisions, currently supplemented and indexed

Congressional Record, V. 148, Pt. 15, October 10, 2002 to November 8, 2002

Congressional Record