Amazon, Wreal LLC Settle Fire TV, FyreTV Trademark Case
from the on-fire dept
Writing as much as I do about trademark disputes and, more specifically, lawsuits, these are always the most frustrating ways for these disputes to end. I will spend some time examining a dispute, analyzing the merits on both sides, only to find that the suit is settled without any of the pertinent details of the settlement being disclosed publicly. But that’s just how it goes at times.
And so it goes with the lengthy lawsuit brought against Amazon by Wreal LLC, makers of the FyreTV platform, which bills itself as the “Netflix of porn.” Wreal sued Amazon claiming that the public would confuse its Fire TV products with the FyreTV porn platform, which was ridiculous on its face. The courts initially agreed, until it was sent back to trial on appeal. From there, it looked like this was going to get the full trial experience, until it was revealed just this week that the case has now settled.
Amazon is finally putting a nine-year legal battle with a porn company behind it, ensuring that the Fire TV name is safe to use.
The online retailer and adult entertainment company Wreal LLC have settled a legal dispute about the use of Fire TV, Bloomberg Law first reported. The battle goes back to April 2014, when Wreal LLC sued Amazon, alleging that its then-new Fire TV video streaming service infringed upon its own adult streaming service, FyreTV.
That settlement is confidential, because of course. That being said, I don’t expect we’ll see Amazon’s branding changing any time soon. I suppose it’s possible that some non-insignificant amount of dollars were exchanged in order to settle this whole thing, but I sincerely hope not. It may be just as possible that the settlement simply allows both product lines to coexist peacefully, with Amazon having demonstrated its willingness to throw its warchest weight around if the legal battle continued.
But, of course, we don’t know for sure. In any case, the suit is now resolved and Amazon can get back to the business of its Fire TV platform, unmolested, as it were, by the porn people.
Filed Under: fire, fyretv, trademark
Companies: amazon, wreal llc
Comments on “Amazon, Wreal LLC Settle Fire TV, FyreTV Trademark Case”
They did get some free publicity so if they settled for co-existence its a net win for the porn guys.
Part of me is sure Bezos appeared in the company with a small army of ppl in black military tactical gear heavily armed to the teeth and suddenly they decided it was ok to co-exist.
Literally playing with fire
Calling itself the “Netflix of porn” is a good way to find itself the end of a lawsuit if the real, and first company to advertise as such, decided to do something.
DVD Empire is one of the oldest online sellers in the world with a single focus market. And for a long time one of the largest buyers of used DVDs.
Their subsidiary Adult DVD Empire has been the ‘Netflix of porn’ for as long as it has existed, which is longer than FTV has.
And there’s one reason giving ADE a better claim beyond age: it’s not just porn. Just like there is actual (euro-)porn on Netflix, ADE has a fairly large selection of soft-core, erotic, international.