High Court Of Justice Favors Google In Trademark Lawsuit By Shorts International

High Court Of Justice Favors Google In Trademark Lawsuit By Shorts International

The tech giant had launched minute-long videos in late 2020 after struggling to compete with TikTok

The High Court of Justice in London has ruled in favor of Google in a trademark lawsuit filed by British company Shorts International on the word 'shorts' used in video-platform, YouTube Shorts.

The court found no confusion for consumers between YouTube Shorts and the short film TV channel and there was no damage to Shorts International's trademark.

In 2023, Shorts International, which runs a television channel devoted to short films, sued the tech giant, accusing it of infringing its ‘shorts’ trademark.

Google-owned YouTube had launched ‘Shorts’, featuring minute-long videos in late 2020, as it struggled to compete with TikTok.

Google's lawyer Lindsay Lane had argued that it was "abundantly clear" that the Shorts platform came from YouTube, not Shorts International.

While dismissing the lawsuit, Judge Michael Tappin ruled that none of Google's uses of the word ‘shorts’ feigned confusion on the origin of the platform. Therefore, “it will not cause damage to the distinctive character or repute of Shorts International's trademarks.”