RIM BBM Lawsuit
Posted Jun 1, 2012 05:41:14 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A federal court has ruled that Research In Motion Ltd. can continue to use the term BBM for its BlackBerry Messenger service, despite the fact that BBM Canada says it is infringing on its 68-year-old trademark.
The court sided with RIM and found that there is no confusion between the companies, and therefore no infringement because the companies operate in different sectors.
BBM Canada says its lawyers are reviewing the finding and considering whether to appeal.
RIM (TSX:RIM) coined the term BBM for its popular text messaging service in 2010 after it learned that many users were already using the acronym to refer to the instant messenger service it started in 2005.
The term was used in print and television ads.
The court dismissed BBM Canada’s claim that RIM’s use was creating confusion among its clients, saying that BBM Canada’s trademark extends only to the field of broadcast measurement services.
