Milk Studios slaps Samsung with a lawsuit over use of the “Milk” name

By Williams Pelegrin November 25, 2014

milk studios slaps samsung lawsuit use name music — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Back in March, Samsung debuted Milk Music, the South Korean company’s answer to services like Pandora and Spotify. However, Samsung might have to change the name soon, as Milk Studios, a photography and media company, filed a lawsuit against Samsung over trademark infringement, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

According to Milk Studios, Samsung used the “Milk” name to take advantage of the established brand attached to Milk Studios. The company, which was founded in the 1990s, started with photography services. Since then, however, it entered several business-to-business media sectors, such as equipment rental, online services, brick-and-mortar galleries, website production, talent management, and representation. It also works with music and music videos.

Milk Studios originally complained about the name usage back in March. Samsung replied it would need time to consider removing the Milk name. However, in August, Samsung decided to push forward with the name. Because of this, according to Milk Studios, its brand suffered “immediate and irreparable harm,” since its business partners allegedly assumed it partnered with Samsung on the music streaming service.

Samsung has yet to comment on the lawsuit, though Milk Studios will need to prove that Samsung’s use of the Milk name created confusion among customers.

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Williams Pelegrin

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…

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