Office Live LLC filed a trademark-infringement suit against Microsoft in the U.S. District Court of Central California in Los Angeles earlier this month over Microsoft's Web-based small business package of the same name. Microsoft Office Live, which debuted in November 2006, provides CRM, a Web presence, collaboration, and accounting services to small businesses. In a statement, Microsoft spokesman Jack Evans said his company doubts the legitimacy of Office Live's trademark claim and will "vigorously defend" its legal position to maintain the name for its service: "Clearly, if anyone is seeking to gain from the name of another company's products, it's the plaintiffs in this case."
According to court papers, Office Live, in North Hollywood, California, is seeking damages and an injunction to stop Microsoft from using the Office Live name. Microsoft named its Office Live service as part of the whole "Live" branding. Office Live said it registered to trademark the "Office Live" name in 2002, launching many Web sites including: lawofficelive.com, autoofficelive.com, realtorsofficelive.com, doctorsofficelive.com, accountantsofficelive.com, and psychologistsofficelive.com. It originally filed suit against Microsoft over the trademark in December 2006, but the case was put on hold so the companies could negotiate a settlement. When one was not reached, Office Live moved forward with its lawsuit against the software giant.
News source: InfoWorld
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