Prominent Aussie telcos Optus and Boost Mobile have reached a confidential settlement over a recent trademark dispute which was due to play out in court this month.
Back in February, Boost Mobile criticised Optus for using the phrase “Boost” as part of a new product offering. It was part of a temporary internet speed increase service Optus announced, which was quickly removed following allegations that it infringed on Boost Mobile’s trademark. The original announcement remains visible via online archives.
At the time, Boost founder Peter Adderton came out swinging, saying that Optus was “scrambling to create relevancy” in a “deliberate attempt to trade off our valuable Boost brand and success”. In March, a Federal Court granted an injunction at an interlocutory hearing, forcing Optus to temporarily stop using the word “Boost” in branding its products until a full hearing on 20 June.
Now, both parties have reached an agreement, meaning that the hearing will no longer take place.
What happens now between Boost and Optus?
A joint statement from Boost Mobile and Optus reveals that Optus will now offer its temporary speed-increasing services under a new name due to “commercial reasons”. The full statement reads as follows:
Boost Tel Pty Limited and Singtel Optus Pty Limited have resolved their dispute concerning Boost Tel’s BOOST trade marks. Boost Tel had alleged that the launch of new tools by Optus under the names ‘Optus Internet Boost’ and ‘Optus Mobile Boost’ was an infringement of its trade mark rights. The matter was due to be heard in the Federal Court on 20 June 2023. Optus denies it engaged in any trade mark infringement but for commercial reasons it has decided to relaunch these tools under different names. The terms of settlement are confidential.
Joint statement from Boost Mobile and Optus
Optus denied any wrongdoing, aligning with the messaging from a spokesperson at the time saying that the company “does not consider that any customer could confuse Boost Telecom with Optus”. Optus has now quietly changed the branding of its “Mobile Boost” and “Internet Boost” services to “Turbocharge”, including a new YouTube video to replace the original announcement featuring comedian Lizzy Hoo.
In other recent telco news, Telstra recently increased pricing across many of its plans despite recording a recent profit of $934 million. If you’re looking for the best value plan for your phone, we’ve listed the current cheapest SIM plans in Australia.
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