Shopping website wins trademark battle against easyJet founder
EasyJet’s parent company has lost a High Court trademark dispute against Lichfield-based charity shopping website Easyfundraising.
EasyGroup filed legal action against Easyfundraising, its founder Ian Woodroffe OBE and investors, The Support Group (UK), accusing them of trademark infringement.
Its main argument was that customers might confuse the two brands as part of easyGroup, which has over 200 “easy” branded businesses in its portfolio.
Judge Mr Justice Fancourt rejected easyGroup’s claims, stating it was “unlikely that more than a few people would associate or confuse” the two brands.
He said: “Users of Easyfundraising’s advertising services are mostly sophisticated and cautious business people or professionals, making it highly unlikely they would believe that Easyfundraising or Easysearch is part of the easy+ brand or linked to easyGroup in any way.”
EasyGroup was founded in 1998 by Greek Cypriot entrepreneur Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and includes brands easyJet, easyBus and easyHotel.
The company argued that its trademarks were infringed when Easyfundraising launched in 2005 and again in 2007 with the creation of the Easysearch brand.
It also claimed Easyfundraising’s alleged “poor reputation” would harm the easy+ brand.
In an 81-page ruling, the judge dismissed the claims, saying there was “no identity or similarity” between Easyfundraising’s services and easyGroup’s and therefore the claims from 2005 and 2007 were rejected.
Following the verdict, Sir Stelios said that easyGroup was “disappointed with the decision, which contains several contradictions” and announced plans to appeal the judgement immediately.
