AT&T因說"謝謝你" 遭花旗起訴

Saying thanks costs nothing, as the adage goes. But not according to Citigroup, the US bank, which is suing AT&T on the grounds that its use of the term amounts to a trademark infringement.

俗話說，說句“謝謝”沒什麼損失，可花旗集團(Citigroup)不這麼想。這家美國銀行正因爲這個詞起訴AT&T，理由是後者使用這個詞等於是侵犯了該行的商標權。

For the past 12 years Citi has run a series of credit card loyalty schemes based on the “thankyou” brand, which awards points to users based on how much they spend. Last April AT&T, the phone company, became one of Citi’s partners in that programme, launching a co-branded card with a sign-on bonus covering up to the $650 of the cost of a phone.

過去12年，花旗以“thankyou”品牌爲基礎運作了一系列信用卡忠誠度計劃，依據用戶的消費額獎勵他們積分。去年4月，電話公司AT&T成爲花旗這一計劃的合作伙伴，推出了一張聯名信用卡，開卡後若在AT&T購買一部手機可獎勵高達650美元。

But this month AT&T broke ranks, according to Citi, by launching a separate reward programme using the words “thanks” and “AT&T thanks”. In a complaint filed in a Manhattan federal court on Friday, Citi said that it was seeking injunctive relief and unspecified damages. It cited eight trademarks using the term “thankyou,” which it said was “conclusive” evidence of its sole right to use the marks on cards in the US.

但花旗表示，本月AT&T與它分道揚鑣，用“thanks”以及“AT&T thanks”標識推出了自己的獎勵計劃。上週五，花旗向曼哈頓一聯邦法院提交訴狀，稱自己尋求禁令救濟(injunctive relief)和獲得損害賠償，但未言明賠償金額。花旗列出了使用“thankyou”標識的8個商標，稱這一“確鑿”證據證明，該行擁有在美國的卡上使用“thankyou”標識的獨家權利。

“AT&T’s use of the … trademarks is likely to cause consumer confusion and constitutes trademark infringement, false designation of origin, and unfair competition in violation of Citigroup’s rights,” the bank wrote.

花旗在訴狀中寫道：“AT&T使用這些……商標很可能會給消費者造成混淆，構成了商標侵權、不實來源標示、以及侵犯花旗集團權益的不公平競爭。”

AT&T, which has a market capitalisation of $249bn, almost twice Citi’s, gave the complaint short shrift.

AT&T對這一起訴反應冷淡。該公司市值達2490億美元，幾乎是花旗的兩倍。

“This may come as a surprise to Citigroup, but the law does not allow one company to own the word ‘thanks,” said spokesperson Fletcher Cook, in an email. “We’re going to continue to say thanks to our customers.”

AT&T發言人弗萊徹•庫克(Fletcher Cook)在一封電郵中表示：“花旗集團可能會對此感到意外，但法律並不允許一家公司擁有‘thanks’這個詞。我們會繼續向我們的客戶說謝謝。”