Laughrey rejected Block's argument that the injunction request would cause undue harm to the company, noting it had been "significantly narrowed" from H&R Block's initial request to change Block's name altogether. "This confusion is likely to be amplified given that Block Inc is an innovative technology company with a founder and CEO who garners extensive attention and has millions of followers on social media," Laughrey said. Laughrey on Thursday cited the trademark strength of H&R Block's name and logo, the similarity of the companies' marks and the overlap in their services as major factors in finding that Block's name was likely to cause confusion. It said the two companies were direct competitors in tax preparation services since Block bought Credit Karma Tax, now called Cash App Taxes, in 2020.īlock responded that a reasonable consumer would not confuse Cash App Taxes with H&R Block's services, and that it only uses "Block" to refer to its "house of brands" that includes Square, Cash App, and music-streaming service Tidal. H&R Block sued soon after in its hometown of Kansas City, accusing Block of stealing its name to "co-opt" its reputation. San Francisco-based Block' chief executive, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, announced the company would change its name from Square in December. H&R Block had narrowed its request for a preliminary injunction in the case to only cover Block's tax services, but its lawsuit still seeks to force Block to change its name completely.Īn H&R Block spokesperson called the ruling "an important victory in the effort to prevent a competitor from unfairly leveraging the reputation and trust H&R Block has earned over the past 65-plus years."īlock Inc and its attorneys did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reuters) - Siding with tax-preparation giant H&R Block Inc, a Missouri federal judge on Thursday temporarily barred Block Inc, formerly known as Square, from using the name "Block" in connection with its tax-preparation app.īlock's use of the name and a green-square logo for its Cash App Taxes application is likely to confuse customers with H&R Block and its similar logo, Kansas City U.S.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |