Oracle Corporation has renewed its legal battle with crypto-startup Crypto Oracle LLC and its owner, Louis Kerner, alleging trademark infringement and breach of a previous settlement.
The software giant filed a lawsuit in California federal court on November 25, accusing Crypto Oracle of resuming its trademark-infringing activities against Oracle and ignoring a 2020 court order, according to a Law360 report.
The dispute dates back to 2019, when Oracle originally sued Crypto Oracle for allegedly using its well-known trademark to promote cryptocurrency services under the “CryptoOracle” brand. The legal dispute ended with a confidential settlement and court order prohibiting Crypto Oracle from using the disputed name or any variation of Oracle’s trademark.
However, Oracle now claims that Crypto Oracle has resumed its infringing activities. According to the lawsuit, the cryptocurrency startup continued to operate under the brand name “CryptoOracle Collective,” maintained its infringing domain name, and launched new initiatives that Oracle says violate the earlier agreement.
The latest lawsuit accuses Crypto Oracle of trademark infringement, unfair competition, cybersquatting and violation of the settlement agreement, among other charges. Oracle is seeking a range of remedies, including injunctive relief, monetary damages, statutory penalties and the removal or transfer of the infringing domains.
The case comes amid ongoing tensions between well-established corporations and emerging cryptocurrency companies over trademarks. Similar disputes include NanoLabs ‘ lawsuit against Coinbase over Nano Bitcoin and Ether futures, and Dfinity Foundation’s claim against Meta over the infinity logo.
