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Sony Ericsson sues Clearwire for Trade-mark Infringement
Sony Ericsson, the mobile telephone manufacturer, has filed a lawsuit in Virginia claiming that Clearwire, a wireless broadband company, has adopted and is using a confusingly similar trade-mark to its iconic green and white swirl logo. Clearwire is currently building a nationwide wireless broadband network using the 4G WiMax protocol (which offers throughput of up to 40 Mbits/second). In May, 2010 Clearwire announced its intention to offer a Clearwire-brand mobile telephone to operate on its new WiMax network, though it subsequently indicated that the release of those handheld devices would be delayed.
Sony Ericsson’s position is that Clearwire-branded phones displaying Clearwire’s green and white swirl logo will cause confusion for customers, because the companies’ logos are too similar. Sony Ericsson’s complaint is framed as an infringement of both its trade-mark rights and copyright, and seeks $150,000.00 in damages along with a permanent injunction preventing Clearwire from using its logo.
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http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20028826-266.html#ixzz1BUvVlnch