Trademark Law
Suit Claims Search Engine’s ‘Bing’ Name Infringes Trademark
A small St. Louis design company claims in a lawsuit that Microsoft infringed its trademark when it called its new search engine Bing.
The suit was filed in St. Louis circuit court this week by Bing! Information Design, according to Ars Technica’s One Microsoft Way blog, IDG News Service and a press release. The company, which creates computer graphics and illustrations, claims Microsoft was aware of its name before it launched Bing.
Bing! Information Design says it has used the name since 2000. It applied for a trademark for “Bing!” on May 26, while Microsoft filed its trademark application for “Bing” on March 2, IDG News Service says.
A Microsoft spokesman says the suit is without merit.
