According to several news sources, a UK company, EasyGroup has notified another public UK company, EasyDate that it is infringing on its intellectual property
Easy Group which owns intellectual property rights for the family of trade marks used by a group of companies which includes easyJet, easyHotel, easyCar, easyBus, easyJobs, easyVan, easyOffice and easy.com.
easyGroup says they also owns a community trade mark covering information relating to entertainment and personal and social services.
“Easydate said that they have used that name as the company’s name “and the business has used this name in good faith for over five years without intervention or objection from any party, including easyGroup”
“Easydate is taking unfair advantage of the strong reputation of my easy brand in order to obtain an undeserved commercial advantage. Unless EasyDate stops using its brand and domain name, I will take further action to protect the easy name,” said Group Chairman Stelios Haji-Ioannou said in a statement.
Easydate owns a number of dating websites: including Cupid.com, datetheuk.com, datingforparents.com.
This seems to now be a trend where large corporations are seeking to control a dictionary word for all purposes and follows in the wake of Facebook trying to take ownership of the word Book.
Another egregious example of an organisation trying to control generic space…..When will it stop??
Seems to me, EasyDate may have just as strong a claim to the term ‘Easy’ as EasyGroup…After all, EasyDate is using the term – in its own market niche – in every bit as good faith a manner as EasyGroup uses the term in its market niches.
I’d call it a draw if I were them – and, leave well alone.
Stelios, I have one word for you: Easy on lawsuits, and of course on food.
“Another egregious example of an organisation trying to control generic space…..When will it stop??”
When ARTIFICIAL SCARCITY is removed ?
If I recall correctly, the EasyGroup did the same thing a few years ago.
“If I recall correctly, the EasyGroup did the same thing a few years ago.”
Easy-Jet.com
http://www.out-law.com/page-945
A few more they went after were, easypeazy.com 🙂 …it’s true, easygetaway.com, easyescapes.com.
Looks like they did’nt get any of them.
EasyJet and the Easy Group are notorious for bullying users of “easy” domains for years. I’m glad my name isn’t Stelios – a very common Greek name – or the CEO would go after me: http://www.stelios.com 😛
Sounds like another facebook vs. teachbook in another thread mike has from early september
BTW = Who owns easybook.com or easyface.com ?
Here is what the founder of teachbook thinks about monoplies like easy.com and facebook.com thinking they own and control the Internet:
http://teachbook.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=73&Itemid=124
Funny that EasyGroup don’t attack Orange (a phone company) for using ‘their’ color (I may be mistaken – I left years ago to avoid this sort of nonsense).
maybe, someday we must pay a royalty to to someone everytime we want to speak or write… 😐
Stellios was one of teh good guys i hope these udrps are not his idea.
Sir Stelios has a habit of threatened legal action then backing down because he knows he can’t win. ‘easy’ is too common a word to trademark and companies that don’t use the bright orange livery have been free to carry on.
I need a reality check.
EasyGroup is notorious for over-reaching in the protection of
their brand.
Why are THEY letting EasyUK.com drop today?
They have owned it since 1999.
I am the latest victim of their bulling tactics.
I own the domain http://www.easy-salon.com and i am selling a salon management software for business, that i have developed with hard work.
My turnover form the web site is £200 per month.
I received a thread letter from easygroup’s solisitors that they will take me to court and ask damages if i dont hand over all my hard work to them.
Unfortunatelly i did not had any other option as my monthly income is £500 and i cannot afford legal cost, to hand over and rename my product to unisalons.
After i met all their demants now they asking for me to pay a ‘contribution’ to their cost of £750 that i do not have.
Any help out there???????
Hey Dimitrios, It’s a while ago now, but what was the outcome? I notice you changed your domain name, I’m not sure if that was necessary. I notice that Easy Date is still up and running…