Travelers Sues British Insurer Over Umbrella Logo
By Matthew Sturdevant, The Hartford Courant | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Travelers is suing a British insurer for its use of a multicolored umbrella that it says is too similar to Travelers' cherished logo.
The British company's use of an umbrella to market and sell insurance and financial services products "is extremely likely to dilute the famous Travelers Umbrella Mark, thus severely harming Travelers," the suit says. In recent years, the document says, Travelers has spent tens of millions of dollars annually to promote its brand using the red umbrella.
It is not clear when
The suit says that, before 2011,
The lawsuit is dated
Travelers declined to comment on the lawsuit, deferring to the legal complaint filed in court.
This is the latest turn in the history of the red umbrella.
Travelers' use of an umbrella dates to an advertisement in 1870, though the insurer officially took on the logo in the 1950s.
The umbrella was swept up by
In
A long-time Trademark attorney
"Consumers have a tendency to latch onto a logo, and when they see one that looks like it, make an association, assume that the logo they're looking at is the one that they have a general impression of," said Kane, who is not an attorney for either side in the case.
Kane said the British insurer could make several arguments in an attempt to win over the court. For example, she said, it could argue that its customers are sophisticated enough to know the difference between the two umbrellas.
The suit says
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