优客工场在美被诉商标侵权

上周二，众创空间鼻祖WeWork在美国对中资公司优客工场提起了商标侵权诉讼，并要求该公司立即停止在纽约曼哈顿的推广计划——WeWork的总部就设在纽约，它也是纽约众创空间市场上的主宰者。

WeWork在递交给纽约南区法庭的起诉书上称，优客工场的品牌形象与其极为相似，很可能会误导潜在顾客，使其认为优客工场的服务与WeWork有关联，或者是由后者投资的。

WeWork同时也对纽约的另一家众创空间Serendipity Labs提起了诉讼。这家公司于今年七月与优客工场达成了合作，双方致力于在下曼哈顿区联合打造34,000平方英尺的共享办公空间。

Serendipity Labs公司并未立即做出回应。我们暂时无法联系到优客工场对此事进行回应。

今年7月，Serendipity Labs公司在一份与优客工场（北京）创业投资有限公司联合发布的声明中称，这项合作将使该公司的会员能够立即使用中国的78个众创空间。

据称，WeWork在全球的53个城市拥有165个众创空间，光是在美国就辐射了20多个大城市。而且WeWork光是在纽约就有38个共享办公地点，其中有五个是在纽约金融区。而今年11月份，优客工场和Serendipity Labs携手打造的众创空间也将在这里开张。

WeWork要求陪审团参加此案审理，并表示它的“WeWork”商标已经在消费者群体中有了很高的辨识度。

“我们投入了大量时间和金钱打造了一个优秀的品牌，确保了我们的品牌名称只与WeWork及其产品和服务相关。”该公司发言人多米尼克•麦克马伦表示。

WeWork在起诉书中称，优客工场的英文名字UrWork与WeWork的商标上有相同的决定性特征——都是由两个音节组成的单词，且前一部分都是两个字母的人称代词，后面都以Work结尾。

该起诉书还表示，优客工场创始人毛大庆也承认优客工场的英文名字受到了WeWork的影响。但起诉书同时也承认，在中国，优客工场的中文名字无论从字形、字音还是含义，都与WeWork有很大区别。

WeWork表示，优客工场还抄袭了WeWork的logo和移动应用的图标设计。

WeWork还表示，它在美国注册了大量相关商标，并依法享有各种权利。

起诉书还指出，2016年，美国专利与商标局曾表示，WeWork用于租赁共享办公空间的商标权是“无可非议的”。

优客工场曾表示，在获得了红杉资本、真格基金等风投的融资后，该公司的估值已达到14亿美元，并表示它在港台和伦敦等地正在积极建立合资公司，在新加坡也建设了自己的众创空间。

据WeWork称，优客工场还计划于2017年第四季度进入洛杉矶市场。另外优客工场还将进入旧金山，只不过时间尚未确定。（财富中文网）

译者：贾政景

WeWork filed a lawsuit against Chinese company UrWork for trademark infringement in a federal court on Tuesday and demanded the firm stop a planned launch in Manhattan where the New York-based shared workspace company dominates the market.

WeWork said in court papers filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York that a confusingly similar brand would deceive potential customers into believing UrWork's services are affiliated or sponsored by WeWork.

The complaint was also filed against Serendipity Labs, a shared workplace provider based in Rye, New York that announced in July a partnership with UrWork to open a 34,000 square foot co-branded location in Lower Manhattan.

Serendipity had no immediate comment. UrWork could not be immediately reached for comment.

In July, Serendipity said in a joint statement with UrWork (Beijing) Venture Investment, as the company is formally known, that the deal would give its members immediate access to 78 locations in China.

WeWork said it has 165 locations in 53 cities worldwide, including more than 20 major U.S. cities. WeWork operates 38 locations in New York City, including five in the Financial District where the UrWork-Serendipity Labs venture is set to launch in November.

WeWork, which has demanded a trial jury, said it has achieved significant recognition in the minds of coworking consumers through its "WeWork" trademark.

"WeWork has invested substantial time and money building a superior brand to ensure that our brand name is uniquely associated with WeWork and its offerings," said company spokesman Dominic McMullan.

The complaint said the name UrWork shares the defining characteristics of WeWork's trademark - a two-syllable word beginning with a two-letter pronoun joined with the word "Work."

Founder Mao Daqing has acknowledged the UrWork name is a play on WeWork, the complaint said. But in China, UrWork employs Chinese characters that have a different look, sound and meaning, the complaint said.

UrWork also copied the design of WeWork's logo and the icon on its mobile app, WeWork said in the complaint.

WeWork said it owns numerous U.S. trademark registrations for WeWork and extensive common law rights.

In 2016, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office declared WeWork's trademark for leasing and renting office space "incontestable," the complaint said.

UrWork has said it is valued at $1.4 billion after fundraising from Sequoia Capital, Zhen Fund and others. The firm said it has joint ventures in Taiwan, Hong Kong and London underway and a location in Singapore.

UrWork plans to open in Los Angeles in the fourth quarter of 2017 and at an unspecified date in San Francisco, WeWork said.