EasyGroup Back On The Legal Offensive Over Trademark

by Robin Pilgrim, LawAndTax-News.com, London

20 August 2003

EasyGroup founder, Stelios Haji-Iaoannou is gearing up for another legal fight, this time with UK television presenter, Noel Edmonds, over the latter's attempt to register the term 'easymeetings' as a trademark for his video conferencing company, Face2Face meetings.

However, reports in the UK media this week have revealed that despite Mr Haji Ioannou's litigious reputation where the EasyGroup brand is concerned, this dispute may be about more than protecting a trademark.

Mr Edmonds is said to have developed the concept of 'easymeetings' with the intention of getting the EasyGroup involved. However, following a meeting, the company dismissed the possibility of a joint project, but indicated that it may consider establishing a rival service in the future, hence, presumably, its keener than usual interest in ensuring that Face2Face does not register the term.

Speaking to the Western Morning News recently, Mr Edmonds announced that:

'This could destroy my business and it could cost me a lot of money - Stelios does not want to come picking a fight on this because I am not in the mood to lose.'

Meanwhile, EasyGroup's head of corporate communications, John Rothnie revealed that the firm was taking an equally strong stance on the matter, explaining that:

'They came to us and asked us if they could borrow our brand and enter into some kind of relationship with us. We did not make an undertaking. We could not see what the advantage would be to us. We do not want a man on the street believing that a company calling itself 'easy' is part of the group when it is not. We have built the brand - people identify the term with our group.'

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