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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowCarmel-based ChaCha Search Inc., operator of an online question-and-answer site, sued Taiwanese company HTC Corp. for trademark infringement over the planned introduction of a smart phone called the ChaCha, according to a filing in U.S. District Court in Indianapolis.
The company is asking the court for unspecified damages and seeks a preliminary injunction that would prevent HTC from using the name or trademark.
ChaCha has held a registered trademark in the United States since 2007.
HTC, based in Taoyuan, Taiwan, announced this month it plans to release the HTC ChaCha phone in Europe and Asia during the second quarter and in the United States later this year, according to the complaint.
The product is an Android-based smart phone that is due to ship this spring. Product promotions tout the phone's dedicated "Facebook button" that lets users add photos and videos to their Facebook page with "just one touch."
“HTC’s use of the entirety of the ChaCha mark in connection with the infringing phone is likely to cause consumers to mistakenly believe that there is an affiliation between ChaCha and the infringing phone,” ChaCha said in its complaint.
ChaCha, which registered its U.S. trademark in 2007, said it contacted HTC by letter about its concerns and the Taiwanese company “has yet to substantively respond.”
Fast-growing ChaCha landed $3 milion in venture capital last month that'll help the fast-growing company continue its expansion.
HTC officials didn’t immediately return messages for comment.
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