YouView name infringes trademark, rules High Court

Massive blow for connected TV service

Should it have stayed as Project Canvas?

YouView has been told by the High Court that its name infringes a trademark - with the holder Total now seeking an injunction that could see the connected TV platform not allowed to use its name any more.
Mr Justice Sales ruled that Total Ltd. trade mark for 'Yourview' was infringed by the connected platform that numbers all of the major terrestrial stations, BT, Talk Talk And Arqiva as its partners.
YouView - which started out as Project Canvas - has suffered a tough time since its inception, with huge delays to its launch and high profile executive exits - including Sir Alan Sugar.

False dawn?

The connected television service appeared to be over the hump, with an increasingly impressive offering, but the latest ruling will come as a huge blow.
Total - an independent telecommunications company - will now: "be seeking an injunction against YouView to prevent any further use of the name 'YouView', together with financial payment and legal costs, among other remedies."
Speaking to TechRadar, YouView indicated that it will fight the decision with a spokesperson saying: "We plan to appeal against the court's decision, as we maintain there is no confusion between our consumer-facing TV service, YouView, and the business-to-business billing platform, Yourview, provided by Total Ltd."