Problems That a Trademark Search Would Catch
Tax time is here again, and that means it’s time to start getting your personal and business taxes in order. We’ve all seen the commercials and maybe even gotten a few advertisements from the tax prep giants like Jackson Hewitt, TurboTax, and H&R Block, but have you seen any advertisements for Block Inc., Credit Karma Tax or Cash App Taxes?
In December 2021, H&R Block, Inc. and HRB Innovations, Inc. filed a lawsuit in federal court against Block, Inc., a Silicon Valley fintech company, formerly known as Square, Inc. alleging among other things, that the suit was filed to “prevent a Silicon Valley tech company from stealing Block’s name in order to co-opt the reputation and goodwill that Block has earned through decades of hard work.” In April 2022, the tax giant H&R Block, Inc., won the injunction against Block, Inc., with the judge ruling that Block, Inc. could not communicate through advertising, press releases, or social media the Block, Inc., name in association with its Cash App Taxes or with the app’s [similar] green square logo. But now, a split Eighth Circuit has reversed the trademark injunction, won in April by H&R Block, Inc., and has ruled that Block, Inc., can continue to use the name Block, Inc., in association with its Cash App Taxes.
Whew!! This will for sure be a trial to watch. If this goes south at trial, the company formerly known as Square, Inc., will have to rebrand yet again.
To learn about next steps to obtain a comprehensive search and analysis of your proposed mark, give us a call at 1-888-752-2629 or schedule a consultation online.
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Image Sources:
H&R Block - SocialWoodlands, CC BY-SA 2.0 / wikimediacommons.org
Block Inc. - Sergei Elagin / Shutterstock / shutterstock.com
