Story from Bloomberg
Google Inc., which unveiled its Android operating system for mobile phones last year, was sued by a man claiming his business already holds a trademark for the use of that name in connection with e-commerce.Erich Specht of Palatine, Ill., and his Android Data Corp., sued Mountain View, Calif.-based Google, claiming he obtained U.S. trademark rights to Android in 2002 and that when Google applied for a similar right, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 2008 rejected it.
"Google's actions and its business partners that will use its software will undoubtedly lead to deception, confusion and mistake among the consuming public," said Specht's complaint, which seeks a court order barring their use of the name. Specht, in his complaint filed April 28 in federal court in Chicago, also seeks at least $2 million in damages.
Google's Android software has been used in phones sold by T-Mobile USA Inc., a unit of Bonn, Germany-based Deutsche Telekom AG, and South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. L.G. Electronics Inc., also of South Korea, and Schaumburg, Ill.- based Motorola Inc. have said they'll introduce Android phones this year.
Each of those companies are identified in Specht's complaint as members of Google's Open Handset Alliance, which is a defendant in the case.
"We believe these claims to be without merit, Andrew Pederson, a Google spokesman," said Friday.
Android Data's software enables remote administration of Web sites, according to Specht's complaint.
