Online auctioneer eBay Inc. has begun trying to keep other companies from using the rather pedestrian phrases at the heart of its 11-month-old “it” marketing campaign.
The foundation for the new effort was first laid in March, when eBay (EBAY :ebay inc comNews , chart, profile, moreLast: 26.14+0.19+0.73%5:48pm 09/20/2006Delayed quote dataAdd to portfolioAnalystCreate alertInsiderDiscussFinancialsSponsored by:EBAY26.14, +0.19, +0.7% ) asked federal authorities to grant it trademarks for the phrases “You Can Get It On eBay” and “You Can Sell It On eBay,” in which the word “it” is in three colors, while the rest is presented in black and white.
The San Jose, Calif.-based company is also seeking a third trademark to keep others from using the word “it” when the word appears in the same hues as eBay’s marketing material.
Most recently, eBay began defending the trademark-in-waiting in courts. For instance, on Wednesday, eBay filed a trademark-infringement lawsuit against World Auctions Inc., a five-month-old company based in Chicago.
In the suit, eBay alleges World Auctions is a “blatant copycat” because, among other things, it uses the same “it” phrases, and colors the word “it” the same manner as eBay’s site or marketing material.
EBay stakes ‘it’ claim, files trademark lawsuit - MarketWatch
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