Citigroup has recently filed a lawsuit on Friday against AT&T for the usage of the word thanks, pressing charges for copyright infringement. Citigroup has been using the phrase ThankYou for marketing their customer loyalty programs since 2004 and has the copyright on the same since 2010.
The US Patent and Trademark Office had allowed Citigroup with a trademark for thankyou, which is put to use by the group for promoting its credit card services.
In its lawsuit, the credit-card money lender conveys that AT&T is infringing Citigroup’s intellectual property with its brand new marketing campaign connected to AT&T’s co-branded, Citigroup credit card called the AT&T Universal Card.
The group has alleged that AT&T is marketing the phrases thanks and AT&T THANKS, without any legal permission. The claim further adds that as a result it is likely to cause consumer confusion and constitutes trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition in violation of Citigroup’s rights.
The trademark designs are also showcasing similar fonts and word placements, says the complaint. Citi said that it was seeking legal remedy and unspecified damages. It also quoted eight trademarks using the term thankyou, which it said was conclusive evidence of its sole right to use the marks on cards in the US.
Citigroup having multiple thankyou offerings including the thankyou.com, has around 7 million Citigroup customers using ThankYou credit cards, and the company says AT&T will confuse customers and irreparably damage its goodwill and reputation. It wants AT&T to stop saying thanks and pay damages. The bank has also recently entered into an agreement with one of the top retailers, Costco.
This action can be an indication of the increasing competition in the credit-card business which is aiding to keep the banks afloat amidst the current financial crisis.
AT&T owning twice the market capitalization compared to Citigroup of $249 billion responded with the comment “This may come as a surprise to Citigroup, but the law does not allow one company to own the word ‘thanks’. We’re going to continue to say thanks to our customers.”
The lawsuit may threaten the business relationship between two of the largest U.S. companies, which Citigroup has conveyed to go back to at least 1998 when both the firms joined hands for the launch of the AT&T Universal Card.
The case is filed under Citigroup Inc v. AT&T Inc et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 16-04333.
Vina Krishnan
