A Delaware federal judge last week dealt a blow to retail payment systems provider Verifone Inc.’s trademark case against Palo Alto startup Poynt Co., finding that marketplace confusion was unlikely to result from the companies’ similarly-named products and branding efforts.
Verifone, which has dominant market share for credit card payment terminals, had asked the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware for a preliminary injunction barring the startup from selling its “Poynt Smart Terminal” to merchants. The term, Verifone argued, conflicted with its federally registered Point marks and would “swamp” its reputation in the market.
