Microsoft faces legal challenge on brand name Azure

by

Microsoft Azure

An Indian firm known as Azure Knowledge Corporation is taking Microsoft to court over the name Azure. Microsoft Azure is a cloud computing service. Apparently the India based company has been doing business since 1996. Microsoft did not start using Azure in India until 2014.

TheHinduBusinessOnline.com wrote:

The civil suit, filed last month at the City Civil Court here, is about the conflict over the brand name ‘Azure’. The Ahmedabad player claims to be using it as a trademark for its various businesses since 1996, whereas Microsoft has been selling its cloud services platform in India under the brand name Azure since 2014.

Co-founded by a city-based entrepreneur, Azure Knowledge Corporation is also present in multiple countries including the US. It claims to have got its word mark and label mark registered in 1998 with its user date from 1996. Microsoft, on the other hand, introduced the mark Azure in India only in 2014.

The next court date is April 18.

Comments

  1. brian wick says

    I use it for my stuff
    Domain name never made since to me.
    Just re-brand – and be done with it

  2. Top Crunchy says

    Azure Knowledge Corp registered the company name since 1996 but maybe the didn’t trademark the name until 2014 when Microsoft start using the name. That’s why it took them 6 years to start suing Microsoft?

    • brian wick says

      azureknowledge.com registered in 2006
      Archive.org of azureknowledge.com shows a pretty decent brand in 2010.
      Archive.org of Azure.com goes back another business operating in 1997 and reserved but no use in 2010.
      USPTO shows multiple unrelated uses – like AZURE clothing in 2019, Azure Motors & Armatures in 2015 – i.e. after Microsoft’s first use – which means rather generic – thats good for Microsoft.

      So I guess the real question is Microsoft Azure competing with the same good and services as Azure Knowledge ?
      Maybe Ari Goldberger or John Berryhill or some other IP attorney has a “real” legal opinion ?