Megamart, the distribution subsidiary of Nongshim Group, has filed a lawsuit against Homeplus, claiming infringement of the 'Mega' trademark.
According to industry sources on the 14th, Megamart recently filed a lawsuit at the Patent Court to confirm the scope of rights regarding the Mega Food Market. The plaintiff is Shin Dong-ik, Vice Chairman of Megamart.
The issue raised by Megamart began in February last year. Mega Food Market is a futuristic large-scale supermarket model launched by Homeplus in February last year, specializing in a super-large food store. When Homeplus opened the first Mega Food Market store at that time, Megamart filed a trial to confirm the scope of rights regarding the use of the Mega Food Market trademark at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board in July of the same year. As a result, in January, the Patent Trial and Appeal Board ruled that no infringement of rights had occurred. Megamart, dissatisfied with this, filed a lawsuit again.
Megamart stated, "Mega is a widely recognized and distinctive trademark among general consumers," and argued, "Since Megamart has been independently using the brand for a long time, there is sufficient possibility of confusion."
Homeplus responded, "We respect the judgment of the Patent Trial and Appeal Board and cannot accept Megamart's claims that filed a lawsuit in defiance of this," adding, "Mega is a general term meaning 'large' and does not have distinctive distinctiveness."
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