Online social game maker Zynga has reportedly won the Scrabble trademark row but will be required to change the logo of its 'Scramble With Friends' word game.
US-based Mattel, the world's biggest toy manufacturer owning brands such as Barbie, Hot Wheels and Fisher-Price Toys, as well as Scrabble, alleged that Zynga's use of the word 'Scramble' infringed the trademarks as it was too close to the word 'Scrabble'.
However, a High Court judge has ruled that while the name did not infringe the trademark but the use of a curly letter M in the logo 'gives the impression that the word is Scrabble when one looks at it quickly and has the propensity to confuse', and therefore it needed to be changed, the BBC reports.
Mattel spokesman Alan Hilowitz said that while it appreciated the ruling for finding similarities between Zynga's Scramble With Friends logo and Mattel's intellectual property, the company was disappointed that the court did not rule that Zynga should cease using the name altogether.
Hiolwitz said that Mattel intends to further appeal the ruling.
Recently, Zynga was involved into another trademark row with casual sex app maker Bang With Friends for its infringement of 'With Friends' trademark.
