14 DAY TRIAL // This is what happens when the people hired to be creative are not efficient enough. Probably Telus didn't think about this possibility when it named one of its own services "My Faves".
Yes, not a big problem there, but T-Mobile named one of its own services "myFaves", before Telus has. True, they look very similar and, in fact, the services that both companies are offering are almost the same.
We know for sure that naming one of your services the same way one of your competitors did could cause problems, that's why we don't quite understand Telus' move.
In this case, Telus got itself a court hearing. Last May, Telus Mobility, one of Canada's mobile phone operators, launched an unlimited-calling feature that could be used with five preferential phone numbers. T-Mobile offered the same feature to its users, more precisely the possibility for unlimited voice minutes and unlimited SMS text messages, with five favorite numbers, regardless of wireless or wire line provider.
Because the services are more than similar, T-Mobile, the American cell phone operator, can win the case, especially because the company's service was launched sometime in late 2006.
The trial will take place in the Federal Court of Canada. It seems that T-Mobile USA claims that it filled for trademarks for myFaves logo in February, in the U.S., and chose May to make its offer in Canada. Telus Mobility made its claim only in Canada, in April.
In a previous statement, T-Mobile said that Telus would not be able to acquire the registered rights for branding the "My Faves" service. Also, Peter Dobrow, the T-Mobile USA spokesman, declared that "the company is vigorous in protecting and defending its brand and marks, and will take rightful action against any infringement of its intellectual property."
Unfortunately, Telus Mobility Canada spokesman couldn't be reached for comments.