| |
added on 2011-01-26 02:12:48
On January 21st, the High Court of Justice of England and Wales ruled in favour of the online gambling operator 32Red plc in the trademark dispute against the British bookmaker William Hill.
In 2009, 32Red started the legal proceedings against William Hill claiming the British bookmaker has caused damage to their reputation which has been built up around the “32” brand over the years. 32Red accused William Hill of using a similar sounding name for its online casino, which caused huge loss of income for 32Red.
After almost two years of proceedings, the court ruled that William Hill's use of “32V” and “32 Vegas” infringed 32Red's EC registered trademarks, leading to confusion among consumers.
The court ruled that “William Hill's 32Vegas casino signs were sufficiently similar to 32Red’s marks to cause a likelihood of confusion among consumers,” and that it has caused detriment to the “distinctive character and repute of 32Red's trademarks”. The High Court of Justice also dismissed William Hill's counterclaim as to the validity of 32Red's trademark rights in the UK and European Community.
Commenting on the court's decision, Ed Ware, chief executive of 32Red said:“We are naturally delighted that the High Court has upheld our claims. This judgment firmly establishes our intellectual property rights and should deter other operators from infringing our trademarks. As highlighted by the judge, we have an excellent reputation as an online casino operator and a strong brand – these are extremely valuable assets in any marketplace.”
However, 32Red said the case was not over yet and that they would ask for the repayment of “significant legal costs”.
|
|
|
|
