Palmer-Donavin sues Cameron Ashley over CONNECT customer portal

The complaint

The Palmer-Donavin Manufacturing Company v. Cameron Ashley Building Products, Inc., No. 1:26-cv-06651 (N.D. Ga., Atlanta Division), is a 22-page complaint filed November 2, 2026, ECF No. 1, with a jury demand. Palmer-Donavin, an Ohio corporation based in Grove City, Ohio, describes itself as a wholesale distributor of residential, manufacturer-direct building materials. It alleges, on information and belief, that Cameron Ashley is a Georgia corporation based in Greer, South Carolina, with a place of business in Kennesaw, Georgia. (Compl. paras. 8 to 10, 16.)

The marks

Palmer-Donavin pleads two Principal Register registrations in Class 35 for wholesale distributorship of residential, manufacturer-direct building materials to home construction builders, remodelers and retail suppliers: No. 6,423,691 for CONNECT in standard characters, registered July 20, 2021, and No. 6,117,449 for a stylized CONNECT mark, registered August 4, 2020. It alleges use of the word mark since at least August 1, 2018 and of the stylized mark since at least January 2, 2020, and alleges that a combined Sections 8 and 15 declaration for No. 6,117,449 was accepted on August 15, 2026. The complaint identifies Cameron Ashley's Registration No. 7,430,731 for "Connect" on the Supplemental Register, issued June 25, 2024, for providing a website featuring a customer portal in Class 42. USPTO TSDR lists Palmer-Donavin as owner of the first two and Cameron Ashley as owner of the third, and shows a cancellation proceeding pending at the Board for Nos. 6,423,691 and 7,430,731. (Compl. paras. 2, 17 to 21, 28 to 30.)

What the complaint alleges

The complaint alleges that Cameron Ashley, also a building-product distributor, uses "Connect" for an online portal where customers order products, check inventory and pricing, and manage accounts, and that its application claimed first use on February 6, 2023, after Palmer-Donavin's dates. It alleges the USPTO refused registration on the Principal Register as merely descriptive and that Cameron Ashley amended to the Supplemental Register. It alleges the two companies' services, customers and channels overlap and that the use causes confusion. It says Palmer-Donavin sent a cease-and-desist letter on June 26, 2026, that Cameron Ashley petitioned the Board on July 17, 2026 to cancel Registration No. 6,423,691 (Cancellation No. 92092288), and that Palmer-Donavin answered on October 15, 2026 and asserted a counterclaim to cancel Registration No. 7,430,731. It alleges, on information and belief, that Cameron Ashley's continued use is knowing and willful. (Compl. paras. 4 to 6, 25 to 43.)

Claims and relief requested

The First Cause of Action alleges trademark infringement under 15 U.S.C. § 1114. The Second alleges false designation of origin and unfair competition under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a). The Third seeks cancellation of Registration No. 7,430,731 under 15 U.S.C. §§ 1052(d), 1092 and 1119. The Fourth alleges deceptive trade practices under O.C.G.A. § 10-1-370 et seq., and the Fifth alleges unfair competition under O.C.G.A. § 23-2-55. Palmer-Donavin asks for judgments on those claims, preliminary and permanent injunctions against use of "Connect" for building products, building-material distribution and customer portals for building-product purchasers, removal of the designation, a sworn compliance report, an order under 15 U.S.C. § 1119 directing cancellation of Registration No. 7,430,731, Cameron Ashley's profits, its damages and costs, enhancement of damages, attorneys' fees under 15 U.S.C. § 1117(a) and O.C.G.A. § 10-1-373(b), and interest. (Compl. paras. 45 to 69; Prayer A to M.)

Docket

The docket shows, on November 2, 2026, an electronic summons issued as to Cameron Ashley (ECF No. 2), a clerk's notice of deficiency directing Palmer-Donavin to complete and file AO Form 120, a corporate disclosure statement (ECF No. 3) and a proposed AO 120 trademark report (ECF No. 4).