Microsoft is accused of trademark infringement, unjust competition
Microsoft’s anguishes refuse to end so soon and at this time it has been accused of trademark infringement and unfair competition. Who is the plaintiff then? Well, it is a diminutive Missouri-based company with the word "Bing" in its name. The company has instituted legal proceedings against the multinational computer technology corporation for trademarking its search engine with the same word, averring trademark infringement and unjust competition by the software giant.
To cut a long story short, Bing Information Design filed the case in a St. Louis circuit court this week, in quest of damages including corrective advertising paid for by Microsoft to eradicate confusion between the brands. The design company, by and large, proffers computer-related illustrations and other services and has been bringing the name Bing into play ever since 2000 and applied to register the trademark "Bing!" on May 26.
It is to be noted that U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), in the beginning, simply refused the application on Aug. 25, giving the company six months to file supporting information. Microsoft filed its application for the trademark "Bing" (without the exclamation mark) on March 2.
What is the latest development then? Well, even though Microsoft has not been served with a complaint, it is aware of the lawsuit based on media reports and this has been confirmed by a Microsoft spokesman through an e-mail. "We believe this suit to be without merit and we do not believe there is any confusion in the marketplace with regard to the complainant's offerings and Microsoft's Bing product," the spokesman said.
Bear in mind that Microsoft launched its Bing search engine earlier this year as an overhaul of its Microsoft Live Search service.
Microsoft Corporation happens to be a multinational computer technology corporation that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of software products for computing devices. Headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA, its most money-spinning products are the Microsoft Windows operating system and the Microsoft Office suite of productivity software.
