PDP Gaming Files Logo Complaint Against Poly

PDP Gaming files formal trademark infringement complaint

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PDP Poly Logo Row
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Published: April 1, 2019

Rebekah Carter - Writer

Rebekah Carter

Ever since leading communication and audio technology brands Polycom and Plantronics joined forces, the UC industry has been excitedly awaiting the arrival of a new brand. Recently, the two companies announced their new name “Poly,” along with an impressively neat logo design.

Since then, the newly christened Poly has entered the market with a bang, introducing new technology and Microsoft Teams integrated solutions for the modern marketplace. Unfortunately, it may not be a case of smooth skies ahead for the merged Polycom and Plantronics brands. Recently, a company named PDP Gaming has announced that they are filing an official trademark infringement complaint against Poly, who they believe to be using their logo.

The Curious Case of the Copycat Logo

In an official statement, PDP Gaming, one of North America’s largest video game accessory brands, said that they were “disappointed” to see Poly using what appeared to be a “copy” of their logo mark. According to PDP Gaming, the vortex shape was designed for them because it incorporates the letters of their acronym “PDP.” The logo had been in development since March 2018, and PDP Gaming began using it officially for their marketing materials in October 2018.

After stating that Poly’s logo appears to be a direct replication of the PDP logo, the gaming brand filed a formal complaint for trademark infringement with the US District Court. The Southern District of California will be assessing the claim to determine whether Poly will need to stop using the logo and rebrand their image.

An Honest Mistake?

Despite PDP Gaming’s apparent anger at the situation, the chances are that the Poly logo was never intended to be similar in style to the other company’s brand mark. As the world becomes increasingly cluttered, there’s bound to be a handful of businesses out there that share similar visual assets without being aware of it.

Poly has stated that they created their logo entirely independently, which means they’re likely to dispute the claims that have been raised against them. In a press release about their new brand and image, Poly announced that the logo was a representation of the company’s path to the future and their heritage in the aviation environment. The 3 legs of the emblem were apparently inspired by the iconic Polycom Trio conference phone.

We’ll have to wait and see how the courts respond to PDP Gaming’s complaint, and whether Poly will be forced to start building their brand image again from scratch. Hopefully, if they do need to create a new logo, the next one will face fewer problems!

 

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