The High Court of England and Wales has ruled in favour of Google in its trade mark dispute with UK-based TV company, Shorts International. The dispute centred on Google’s use of the word “shorts” on YouTube, which Shorts International alleged infringed its trade marks.
Shorts International operates a TV channel named ‘ShortsTV’, launched in 2007, dedicated to the production and broadcast of short films. It issued proceedings against Google, claiming that the YouTube Shorts feature infringed its trade marks and was likely to cause confusion in the minds of consumers.
In a ruling last week, Judge Michael Tappin found Google had not infringed, concluding that the use of the word “shorts” on YouTube was not likely to cause confusion as to the origin of the content nor cause damage to the distinctive character or repute of the Shorts International trade marks.
In a short statement, a Google spokesperson commented “We welcome the court’s decision that there is no trademark infringement here.”
If you have any questions on the above, please do not hesitate to contact the team at McDaniels Law on 0191 281 4000 or legal@mcdanielslaw.com.
