Copyright row strikes BT Wireless re-brand
Legal Week reports
September 05, 2001 at 08:03 PM
2 minute read
BT Wireless' in-house team is facing an embarrassing copyright row after the mobile division this week unveiled its £1m new brand.
On 3 September BT launched a new brand for its mobile phone business using the chemical symbol for oxygen [O2], only to be met with a threat of legal action from the owner of a North London shopping centre with the same name.
BT has spent more than £1m securing the global rights to the O2 brand.
It is understood that the IP work for the rebranding was retained within the in-house team at BT Wireless which is headed by Philip Bramwell. Regular adviser Bird & Bird told Legal Week that it has not been involved.
Property company Burford opened the O2 centre on London's Finchley Road in 1999. This week the company said it was looking for sites across Europe with a plan to open a chain of centres under the brand name and is taking legal advise on a potential challenge.
Clifford Chance has been retained to advise Burford on the case. A spokesman for BT said: "We have heard nothing from them [Burfords] and as far as BT is concerned, we are in totally different arenas. There will be no confusion over the name."
BT Wireless is due to be spun off from BT next month, as part of the telecoms giant's group-wide shake-up.
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