Motorola hit with lawsuit over Xoom name

Just as Motorola Mobility Inc was readying for the launch its Xoom tablet in the US this week, it has been hit with a trademark lawsuit over the tablet name.

It would be either a wait or a new name for the Xoom for Motorola now. The Xoom was being touted as an early challenger to Apple's iPad.

Xoom Corporation, which is a global money transfer service, filed a trademark suit on Wednesday which ruined Motorola Mobility's launch party. In its suit filed by the famous firm Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, the San Fransiso-based company claims the name Xoom is its trade mark and is in use on its website since 2003. 

According to the International Business Times, the company has sought a permanent injunction against  Motorola Mobility Inc and treble damages pending an immediate "temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction.''

"Through this long online use accessible via computer and mobile devices, Xoom's trade name and the XOOM products have become associated exclusively with Xoom. Until [the] defendants' adoption of the Xoom brand without authorization from Xoom, Xoom to its knowledge was the only entity using the name or mark for online product offerings,'' the International Business Times quoted the San Francisco company as saying in its trademark suit.

The Cupertino-based technology giant had faced a similar situation following the launch of its iPhone in 2007. The company was dragged to court by Toronto-based Comwave Telecom over violation of its trademark 'iPhone.'