The UK’s largest online real estate platform, Rightmove Plc, has accused a rental agency in London of trade mark infringement. Ehsan Ahmed, owner of Right Room, received a cease-and-desist letter from Rightmove that claimed the name and logo were too similar.
Right Room is an agency which sources flat shares for working professionals in London and is based in the King’s Cross area. Mr Ahmed launched the company in 2015 and had no previous complaints from Rightmove. When rebranding in 2020, Mr Ahmed registered a trade mark for the Right Room logo with the UK Intellectual Property Office.
Rightmove claim that Right Room’s name, logo and colour scheme all are too similar to its own branding which causes a likelihood of confusion amongst consumers, and thus constitutes trade mark infringement. However, Mr Ahmed has alleged that Rightmove is simply trying to “bully” the agency as it did not object to the trade mark application for the logo during the publication period.
In further correspondence exchanged between the parties, Rightmove has offered an amicable settlement, the terms of which are unknown, that considers Mr Ahmed’s concerns regarding a rebrand and would allow him to use of the ‘Right Room’ name. It is to be seen whether the parties can reach a mutual agreement.
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