Google successfully defended itself in a trademark lawsuit over its YouTube Shorts platform, with the London High Court ruling on Thursday that there was no risk of consumer confusion.
Shorts International, a company that operates a television channel for short films, had filed a lawsuit against the tech giant last year. The company alleged that Google infringed on its trademark by using the word “shorts.”
Launched by Google-owned YouTube in late 2020 to compete with TikTok, YouTube Shorts features minute-long videos. During the trial earlier this month, Google’s lawyer, Lindsay Lane, argued that it was “abundantly clear” the Shorts platform was associated with YouTube, not Shorts International.
In his written decision, Judge Michael Tappin stated that Google’s use of the term “shorts” would not confuse consumers about the platform’s origin. He also mentioned that the word would not harm the distinctive character or reputation of Shorts International’s trademarks, leading to the dismissal of the lawsuit.
Neither Google nor Shorts International has commented on the ruling yet.
