An online services company for the professions is suing
Microsoft for allegedly breaching its Office Live
trademark.
Office Live LLC has announced that it is proceeding with
litigation against Microsoft, seeking to prevent Microsoft from
using
Office Live to promote its recently launched
on-demand productivity applications.
US company Office Live, which provides online services to
lawyers, accountants, doctors and others, obtained a federal
registration on the Office Live trademark in 2002. It has used the
Office Live mark since early 2001.
In late October 2006, Microsoft announced that it planned to
begin offering online productivity tools targeted at small
businesses under the name Office Live to paid subscribers, as well
as a free, ad-sponsored version.
Office Live LLC brought its lawsuit to a US district on 29
December, but agreed to withhold its action to allow settlement
negotiations to take place with Microsoft.
After these settlement talks broke down, the lawsuit was served
on Microsoft, which now says it will fight it. Microsoft claimed
Office Live’s trademark did not cover its products.
Office Live CEO Lenny Targon said, “Microsoft seems to think
that it can do whatever it wants just because we are a much smaller
company. It is shocking that Microsoft would have so little regard
for another company's intellectual property rights that it would
select a name belonging to another company.
"Online software may be the next big thing, but Microsoft has no
right to use our trademark without permission," said Targon.
Office Live's lawsuit seeks both monetary damages and an
injunction preventing Microsoft from continuing to use the Office
Live name.
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