The request for a preliminary injunction against trademark infringement filed by the celebrity management company ‘Management Forest’ against ‘Forest Co., Ltd.’ (SOOP, formerly AfreecaTV), which operates an internet broadcasting platform, has been dismissed.
This ruling opens the way for Forest Co., Ltd. to freely use its new trademark.
On the 4th, the 60th Civil Division of the Seoul Central District Court, led by Judge Lim Hae-ji, acknowledged that the business names of both companies are similar. However, it concluded that they operate in different business areas, making it difficult to see a close relationship between them.
The court stated that while Management Forest is engaged in managing celebrities and producing video content, Forest Co., Ltd. is involved in operating a live streaming platform, indicating that a competitive or overlapping relationship between the two cannot be established.
Additionally, the materials submitted by Management Forest were deemed insufficient to determine that the business name was widely recognized or posed a significant risk of confusion. The court concluded that the various broadcasting support activities and partnerships of Forest Co., Ltd. did not significantly overlap with those of Management Forest to create confusion or reverse confusion.
Previously, Forest Co., Ltd. changed its name from Afreeca TV in March to pursue global market expansion and distance itself from the negative image of some streamers.
Management Forest expressed concerns over potential damage to its reputation and the images of its affiliated actors.
The Management Forest team claimed that all accumulated reputation and credit had been damaged and that it would be impossible to recover from such losses, prompting legal action.
However, the court’s ruling seems to have settled the legal dispute between the two companies for the time being.
Management Forest includes many famous actors, including Suzy, Jeon Do-yeon, Gong Yoo, Gong Hyo-jin, Jung Yu-mi, Seo Hyun-jin, and Nam Joo-hyuk.
Source: nate
