The recent legal battle over the ‘Shorts’ branding has concluded in Google’s favour.
- Shorts International claimed confusion and dilution of its brand by Google’s YouTube Shorts.
- Judge Michael Tappin found no likelihood of confusion between the companies’ branding.
- Shorts International argued its distinctiveness was lost due to Google’s expansive reach.
- Google’s YouTube Shorts continues to thrive with billions of daily views.
In a significant legal victory, Google has successfully defended its use of the ‘Shorts’ branding for its YouTube platform, following a challenge by London-based Shorts International. The dispute centred around the potential for confusion between the two entities’ short-form video offerings.
Shorts International, known for its dedicated short film TV channel launched in 2007, alleged that Google’s adoption of ‘Shorts’ was causing brand confusion and impacting its reputation. The company insisted that Google’s extensive advertising and digital presence overshadowed its own, diminishing its brand identity and reach.
However, the British High Court, led by Judge Michael Tappin, ruled in Google’s favour. The judge acknowledged the similarities between the two brands but concluded there was no significant risk of confusion regarding the origin of the services. He asserted that Google’s branding did not damage Shorts International’s trademark reputation.
The origins of the dispute lie in Shorts International’s claim that their brand, built over years as a premier short film broadcaster, was being diluted by Google’s ‘Shorts’. However, Judge Tappin clarified that Google’s usage did not misrepresent the service as being affiliated with or authorised by Shorts International.
YouTube Shorts, launched in 2020, allows users to scroll through short clips akin to TikTok and has become highly popular. As reported, by 2022, this feature was garnering over 30 billion daily views globally, reaching approximately two billion users.
Google’s legal victory secures its continued use of the ‘Shorts’ branding, allowing its platform to flourish unimpeded.
