Copyright confusion

A marine consultant and marine surveyor worked under the company name of ABC Ltd (not the real name).

The surveyor, without realising, used the logo (really just a type of font) of another company with a very similar name, being ABC LLP. They also used this logo in a video, which was then uploaded by a third party onto social media.

As it turned out, ABC LLP also operated in the field of maritime claims and was the lawful owner of the registered trademark ABC LLP. As a result, ABC Ltd was presented with a claim for damages plus legal fees.

ITIC arranged for a lawyer specialising in intellectual property to review the claim. The advice was that it was very likely there had been an infringement of ABC LLP’s trademark. The fact that both companies serviced very similar industries also did not help the surveyor’s position.

ITIC managed to negotiate a successful end to the claim, with ABC Ltd agreeing to no longer infringe ABC LLP’s copyright. Each party would bear their costs. The legal fees incurred by ABC Ltd were EUR 7,000 which was reimbursed in full by ITIC.