Discover Kalamazoo Says It’s Suing SWMF over “269™” Trademark Infringement
Discover Kalamazoo says it has filed a copyright Infringement lawsuit against SWMF (Southwest Michigan First) over the 269™ trademark.Here's where this gets confusing. Discover Kalamazoo uses "269™" to promote information about what's happening in Kalamazoo, and to a lesser extent, the 269 area code. Examples can be found on their website.
The pending lawsuit contends, from Discover Kalamazoo's point of view, Southwest Michigan First, has infringed on the copyright. According to WWMT, Southwest Michigan First publishes "269 Magazine". Attempts to negotiate an agreement between the two parties so far have failed.
Discover Kalamazoo says they haven't served the lawsuit as attempt to kickstart negotiations and as a sign of good faith. Southwest Michigan First has not issued a statement to Townsquaremedia.