By: Sharon Urias, Esq.
USAA, the San Antonio, Texas, based insurance and banking company, filed a lawsuit earlier this month against a California company alleging trademark infringement.
In the lawsuit, USAA alleges the company, USAA Auto Group and USAA Remarketing LLC of Oceanside, California, is infringing on the company’s trademark by using the initials USAA.
On the same day USAA filed its suit against the California company, a Bexar County District Court judge issued a temporary restraining order against the California company banning it from using USAA in their business names and on the internet, as well.
The San Antonio company is well-known for assisting its members in finding, financing and insuring vehicles. USAA spokesman Roger Wildermuth wrote in an email, “Services and websites using the name USAA for the buying and financing of cars are clearly designed to confuse and misdirect USAA members looking for our services, and place our reputation at risk.”
The owner of the California company, Sam Shaker, however, disagrees with Wildermuth’s statement, saying that he doesn’t believe consumers will confuse his businesses with that of USAA, as they are a small business buying and selling cars to mainly military service men and women of nearby Camp Pendleton. Shaker added they were “just a small business trying to survive the bad economy.”
Shaker’s business partner, Aris Bacon, who also happens to be his wife, stated the name of their company, USAA, was derived from taking the first initial of each business partner’s first name and combining them together to create USAA – “Sam, Allan, Aris united.”
USAA’s lawsuit was heard in court on February 12; however, the outcome of the dispute has not been disclosed.
Original story can be found here.
