Nuvio sues Garmin over Nuvifone trademark

Garmin's Nuvifone is emulating the iPhone in more than just functionality, as business phone service provider Nuvio confronts the GPS Company with a lawsuit over trademark infringement. In a move that resembles the earlier Cisco-Apple iPhone dispute, Nuvio claims that the Nuvifone is a registered trademark, one that Garmin is knowingly and willfully appropriating. Nuvio says that it attempted to reach a mutual arrangement with Garmin before filing, but the efforts failed.

“While we would have preferred to settle this without resorting to a lawsuit, we felt it was important to ensure that our customers and potential customers are not confused by someone abusing our legally protected trademark,” said Nuvio CEO Jason P. Talley. “Our customers commonly refer to our service as the Nuvio phone.”

A cease and desist order was issued to Garmin on January 31st; Nuvio seeks damages for past infringement and for Garmin to cease using the trademark.

Filed under: iPhone, industry, peripherals
Other story tags: lawsuit, Garmin, Nuviphone, Nuvio