Samsung Triumphs In ‘S10’ Jury Trial Against Talent Agency Of That Name
In an unusual fight between talents and (smartphone) models, Samsung has come out tops in a Los Angeles federal jury trial against a celebrity representation firm over the use of the ‘S10’ trademark.
As detailed in court papers published by Reuters, S10 Entertainment accused the South Korean giant of confusing consumers into believing both brands were associated through its advertising, typography, and color scheme.
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The representative for stars cited a Galaxy S10 advertising campaign aimed at the music industry, which it felt may have led customers to assume both companies were related in some way.
Samsung first rolled out the Galaxy S series in 2010, numbering smartphones every year. The S10 array arrived in 2019.
Meanwhile, S10 Entertainment said it started using its name in 2017, which meant the ‘S10’ branding existed before Samsung’s version came along.
The talent management agency represents pop singers such as Anitta and Normani, Reuters reports. On S10’s website, it notes that it has published hit songs by names like Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, and The Weeknd.
It asserted that Samsung was aware of the talent agency as the consumer tech giant had reached out to discuss a potential partnership with Anitta.
S10 further recounted that it had received messages from social media users enquiring about Samsung smartphones.
It said that because of Samsung’s presence, S10 Entertainment’s social media footprint has been heavily diluted.
Samsung argued in court that its S10 branding wouldn’t create confusion, and that it was natural for it to add ‘S10’ to its family of numbered Galaxy S models.
On March 17, the jury agreed that Samsung’s branding wouldn’t likely stomp out S10’s presence or mislead consumers.
To be fair, doing like Apple’s iPhone X and naming its smartphones Galaxy SX wouldn’t bode well for the South Korean company.
[via Reuters and Bloomberg Law, images via various sources]
