O2 backs down in battle with Sony over 'mimic' ads

Ravi Chandiramani,

May 14, 2003

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O2 backs down in battle with Sony over 'mimic' ads

LONDON - O2 has agreed to withdraw its entire £4m ad campaign, featuring symbols alleged to be 'remarkably similar' to PlayStation's brand icons, by the end of the month.

An out-of-court settlement with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe has forbidden O2 from using the symbols from the end of May on any communications.

SCEE vice-president of marketing David Patton said he was satisfied the settlement "protected the integrity" of the PlayStation brand.

However, O2 claimed the campaign, by Vallance Carruthers Coleman Priest, was never intended to run beyond next month in any case.

The ad, "Talk Simple", aimed to illustrate O2's X-Net service, which offers subscribers 50 texts and 50 minutes of free calls to any network for £10 a month. It uses four neon shapes to represent the UK's four major mobile networks.

SCEE started legal proceedings against O2 earlier this month alleging copyright infringement, trademark infringement and passing off.

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Topics

Marketing