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27 June 2017Trademarks

Ancestry.com settles TM suit with rival

Genealogy research website Ancestry.com has settled a trademark infringement lawsuit against rival DNA Diagnostic Centre (DDC).

On Thursday, June 22, US District Judge Susan Dlott dismissed the claim with prejudice, with each side responsible for its own attorneys’ fees.

The complaint was filed by Ancestry.com in November 2015 at the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio.

It claimed that DDC had caused “significant actual confusion in the marketplace from its unauthorised use in commerce of Ancestry.com's registered ‘Ancestry’ trademark”.

The complaint related to online adverts, in which DDC had used the AncestrybyDNA.com domain name and used the term ‘AncestryDNA’ in the adverts’ headline.

Ancestry.com claimed that the adverts had infringed several of its US trademarks, including US trademark numbers 3,852,700 for ‘Ancestry.com’ and 4,280,444 for ‘AncestryDNA’.

It added that after sending a cease-and-desist letter in August 2012, DDC agreed to temporarily remove the ‘AncestryDNA’ mark from the advert, but then were allegedly found to be using it again a month later.

Ancestory.com was seeking profits, injunctive relief, triple damages and a jury trial.

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7 February 2017   Genealogy research website Ancestry.com has agreed to pay $12.5 million to settle a patent infringement quarrel centring on DNA.
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14 May 2018   DNA testing company 23andMe has sued Ancestry.com for infringing a patent related to helping users find relatives.