A legal battle between Zoom, the U.S.-based video conferencing system, and a Japanese audio equipment manufacturer of the same name has turned into a quagmire.
Litigation began in the Tokyo District Court in the fall of 2021 and the dispute now spans 29 countries. The matter is further complicated by the unexpected involvement of another party: Tombow Pencil, a Japanese manufacturer of stationery products. Another factor complicating the dispute is that Japanese trademark rules related to computer programs have not kept pace with the digitization of industry.
"We hope that in the end they'll change the name of the service," said Masahiro Iijima, group CEO of Zoom Corp., the Japanese maker of electronic audio equipment.
In the fall of 2021, the Japanese company filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against Zoom Video Communications (ZVC), a U.S. company that develops and manages video conferencing systems, seeking an injunction for infringement of the "Zoom" trademark and damages of 10 million yen ($71,700).
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Litigation began in the Tokyo District Court in the fall of 2021 and the dispute now spans 29 countries. The matter is further complicated by the unexpected involvement of another party: Tombow Pencil, a Japanese manufacturer of stationery products. Another factor complicating the dispute is that Japanese trademark rules related to computer programs have not kept pace with the digitization of industry.
"We hope that in the end they'll change the name of the service," said Masahiro Iijima, group CEO of Zoom Corp., the Japanese maker of electronic audio equipment.
In the fall of 2021, the Japanese company filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court against Zoom Video Communications (ZVC), a U.S. company that develops and manages video conferencing systems, seeking an injunction for infringement of the "Zoom" trademark and damages of 10 million yen ($71,700).
read more
