Overview
- The Tokyo District Court, led by Judge Shibuya Katsumi, ruled Friday that Zoom Video Communications must pay about ¥166.2 million to the Tokyo-based electronics maker Zoom (ズーム).
- The court denied the Japanese firm's request to block the U.S. company from using its Zoom logo, so the video app's branding stays in use in Japan.
- The plaintiff, founded in 1983 and listed on the TSE Standard market, registered the four-letter “ZOOM” logo in Japan in 2006 after filing in 2005.
- The Japanese company said people repeatedly contacted it with questions about using the meeting service, arguing the logos look and read the same, while the U.S. firm said its mark is visually distinct and widely recognized.
- The conflict began with a 2020 demand to stop logo use and a 2021 lawsuit seeking ¥300 million in damages, and the reports do not note any appeal.