Brief: WeWork sues UrWork for trademark infringement

WeWork’s Tower 535 co-working space in Hong Kong. Photo credit: WeWork.

The news (extracted from Bloomberg):

• US-owned shared office giant WeWork is escalating a legal fight against its Chinese rival, UrWork, with a US trademark infringement lawsuit.
• According to WeWork’s suit, UrWork’s brand shares defining characteristics with WeWork’s trademark, specifically a two-syllable word beginning with a two-letter pronoun and joined with the word “Work”. It also claimed UrWork’s logo, mobile app icon, and office design resembled WeWork’s.

Why it matters:

• This is not the first time WeWork has taken legal action against UrWork over trademark rights. In July, WeWork filed a similar lawsuit against UrWork in London. In response, the Chinese company argued that its brand was an interpretation of the shared working industry and philosophy, and that the word “work” was a commonly used term. The case is still ongoing.
• As the two companies pursue global expansion, WeWork and UrWork will increasingly encounter each other. WeWork took on a US$500 million investment to expand its business in China in July. UrWork has raised US$236 million over the past three months to establish 160 locations worldwide, including in New York, where 38 WeWork offices are located.