The problem is you don't "watermark" court filings in the first place.
That's generally not a thing. Court filings have strict requirements around formatting. This isn't any different from trying to file in Comic Sans or a 48-pt font.
Unfortunately this stunt is functioning as free publicity for this firm, because it's getting written about...
I used to sysadmin for a law firm that used watermarks for draft filings as they went through the internal workflow on the theory that nobody would be stupid enough to actually file something with a translucent toucan on it, so it would make accidentally filing a draft less likely.
> Court filings have strict requirements around formatting. This isn't any different from trying to file in Comic Sans or a 48-pt font.
For example, the Northern District of California rules require a 12-point standard proportional-width font, with no more than 28 lines per page 8½ inch by 11 inch white paper with numbered lines. This is their way of requiring double-spacing and enforcing the page limits[1].
BUT - The rules don't say anything about requiring the paper to be portrait rather than landscape. 28 lines on a landscape page would allow for a lot more text.
Alas, I'm not daring enough to try it, as the intent of the rule is clear, and I'm sure no judge would take kindly to it.
Some courts have moved to word count limits, requiring a certification of word count at the end with a lawyer's signature.
Common paper size definitions would indicate that 8 1/2x11 is portrait, while 11x8 1/2 is landscape, so they could reasonably reject a landscape filing on that basis.
Both to prevent silly games and for similar reasons as the "no brown M&Ms" rider in Van Halen's venue contracts: if you read and followed the instructions in detail for small things like formatting, you read and followed the instructions for the things that actually matter as well.
Consistency mainly. Judges want to be able to easily understand what they're looking at and for it to look professional. Double-spacing gives room to write in changes or notes. Line numbers let you reference stuff easily.
The problem is you don't "watermark" court filings in the first place.
That's generally not a thing. Court filings have strict requirements around formatting. This isn't any different from trying to file in Comic Sans or a 48-pt font.
Unfortunately this stunt is functioning as free publicity for this firm, because it's getting written about...