Here is somthing worth reading...
I found this on another message board...does this furrow anyone elses brow?
I wonder if SMMW will let people know how Alex Parsinia made out in his law suit ? Is Network Management the prior name of Matrix Management, Inc ? Just wondering.
Touch-Tel says Utah companies copied its phone cards
Trademark lawsuit: It alleges the products are virtually identical in design and wording
By Bob Mims
The Salt Lake Tribune
Please route to BCOPY when finished. thanks.
Touch-Tel USA is suing two Utah companies for trademark infringement, saying their products are little more than unauthorized knockoffs of its own popular lines of calling cards targeting the Latino community.
In its U.S. District Court complaint, Houston-based Touch-Tel alleges the "La Casa Blanca" and "San Juan Diego" prepaid cards sold by defendants Network Management and Deltacom Networks Inc. - both with listed Salt Lake City addresses of 1890 S. 3850 West - are not only offered under the same names as Touch-Tel's trademarked cards, but contain virtually identical wording and artwork.
"One look at [a] side-by-side comparison shows defendants' clear disregard for Touch-Tel's rights," the suit states. "Defendants did not simply use Touch-Tel's card as a go-by, rather [they] intentionally copied Touch-Tel's card."
The extent of alleged copying even goes so far as to duplicate bar codes and product numbers,according to the suit filed on behalf of Touch-Tel by Salt Lake City attorney James Ellsworth, who declined to discuss the case. He referred further questions to Touch-Tel counsel; Houston attorney Jonathan Pierce declined to comment Friday.
Network Management referred inquiries Friday to chief executive Alex Parsinia. "I'm not familiar with the allegations at all right now. We are a big company and we just got the paperwork," he said. "We'll give it to our attorneys and go from there."
Touch-Tel seeks damages to be determined by the court, along with legal fees, court declarations that the defendants have infringed trademarks, and injunctions barring further violations.
Touch-Tel contends that before filing its suit this week, it had notified the Utah companies in writing they were violating trademarks. Touch-Tel demanded they cease producing the cards, and recall all infringing products and advertising related to them.
The extent of the questioned cards' distribution is unknown, but Touch-Tel says they have recently been sold in Arizona, at least.
The companies have not complied with any demands, Touch-Tel claims.
Touch-Tel contends it has worked hard to maintain a standard of service with its cards, and that Network Management/Deltacom are deliberately causing confusion and deceiving purchasers with their versions of the cards.
Judge Tena Campbell has been assigned the case, but had not set a hearing as of Friday afternoon.
bmims@sltrib.com
SMMW: Executes LOI to Acquire Matrix Management, Inc.
By Brian Edwards, bedwards@knobias.com
Summus Works, Inc. (SMMW) announced it has executed a Letter of Intent to acquire the Salt Lake City-based telecommunications company Matrix Management, Inc., owner and operator of Network Management Incorporated and Matrix Telecom. The acquisition will expand and diversify Summus' interests into the $2.7 trillion global telecommunications industry. The acquisition is expected to add more than $6 million in annual revenue. Management stated that it expects to close the acquisition within the next twenty-one days.
AI
