Is it better for your IP to be protected or respected?
In the new article published over on Maddyness, Branded Content expert Sally Tarbit asks the question, is it better for your IP to be protected or respected?
You’ll find a snippet below, and the full article here.
“Within the last year, easyGroup, which owns the budget airline, has filed trademark claim after trademark claim in UK courts. In October, an indie music band then-known as Easy Life, was forced to give up the name, believing the band lacked the resources to fight the lawsuit against them.
The David and Goliath clash drew headlines and will do little to inspire empathy for easyJet, who appears to be using their vast resources to crush those with less. To compound this, another target for a lawsuit from easyGroup was easyfundraising, a charity shopping website.
So yes, easyGroup appear to have won the battle over the use of the word “easy” in its suits so far, but at what cost? The brand appears petty – and “a bit mean” as easyfundraising’s chief executive, James Moir, put it. It’s a lesson for any business, particularly startups with goals of growth. At a time when everyone is struggling, this sort of behaviour doesn’t come across well. Reputation-wise, it would have been better to take a bit more time to consider whether taking legal action was actually worth it.”
