Uber hit with trademark lawsuit over new travel services

By Reuters May 12, 2022 | 07:53 pm PT

A screen displays the company logo for Uber Technologies Inc at the New York Stock Exchange in New York. Photo by Reuters/Brendan McDermid

A California company sued Uber Inc in federal court for violating its trademark rights with new "Uber Travel" application and services that would unfairly compete with its real estate business.

UberRE Inc's lawsuit said it bought an "Über" trademark for real-estate services in 2017 and uses the name on software for booking travel accommodations. It claimed damages of over $250 billion, more than five times Uber Technologies' current market capitalization.

Uber Technologies did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

UberRE advertises vacation rentals though an "UberBnB" app, as well as through a website that prominently describes its trademark ownership and compares its business history with Uber Technologies. UberRE Inc chairman Brent Ritz told Reuters that Uber Technologies had breached an agreement with the company that he declined to detail.

Uber Technologies announced last month that it would begin providing services for booking long-distance travel by train in the United Kingdom starting this summer, and add flight booking there later this year and hotel booking in the future.

The company applied to register a US trademark for "Uber Travel" covering travel booking in January, though its UK press release did not use that name or mention plans to provide similar services in the United States.

UberRE said in the lawsuit that Uber Technologies has infringed its trademark and will cause consumer confusion by offering competing services.

Uber Technologies was previously sued by New York ad agency Uber Inc over its planned expansion into the advertising business. The companies resolved that dispute in November.