Mobile payments solutions provider Colour Planet arraigns leading mobile network operator Safaricom over copyright infringement of its trademark through its latest product Okoa Stima.
Okoa Stima is a union between Safaricom and Kenya Power, which offers services such as account registration, payment of power bills, purchase of tokens, bill querying and presentment, access to emergency power top up, as well as Pre-Pay and Post-Pay to customers.
The case was heard at Milimani Law courts on July 7 2015, in which Safaricom worker Julia Obura and Kenya Power have been faulted as the second and third parties correspondingly. Henceforth, intellectual property rights are significant since it promotes innovation. Lack of protection to concepts of personages and trades would result to lose of benefit from the owners’ inventions.
Colour Planet claims the development of Okoa Stima and has registered it with Kenya Industrial institute (KIPI) hence owns the rights to the emblem. Further, Colour Planet’s legal representative, Waweru Kihara, discussed that they are experiencing deteriorated hefty losses. Clearly, the intention of pursuit to halt Safaricom and Kenya Power from using its trademark on promotion is seriously essential.