In lawsuit, KC’s H&R Block says Twitter founder’s firm is ripping off its brand name
H&R Block is suing a Silicon Valley tech company for trademark infringement, the tax giant announced Thursday.
Earlier this month, Square Inc., the brainchild of Twitter Founder Jack Dorsey, changed its name to Block Inc. Leaders at Kansas City’s H&R Block say that move is co-opting their brand name and confusing consumers.
“The goodwill and brand identity that Block has carefully cultivated and nurtured is under attack,” the company said in its lawsuit, which was filed in federal court Thursday morning.
H&R Block says it competes directly with the California company in several ways. The Silicon Valley firm recently acquired Credit Karma Tax, which is a competitor of H&R Block, for example.
Officials with the Silicon Valley firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In changing its parent company name, Block Inc. retained the Square name for its company that provides point of sale systems to retailers across the country. The company also includes the Cash App brand and the music streaming service TIDAL.
“We built the Square brand for our Seller business, which is where it belongs,” Dorsey, cofounder and CEO of Block, said Dec. 1 when announcing the name change. “Block is a new name, but our purpose of economic empowerment remains the same. No matter how we grow or change, we will continue to build tools to help increase access to the economy.”
In its lawsuit, H&R Block asks the court to prevent the company from using the Block name, citing its family of trademarks including the Block name. It also points out the California firm’s square green logo that looks similar in shape to H&R Block’s federally registered logo.
“As a relatively new Silicon Valley business, Block, Inc. knows that it does not have the kind of history or reputation for trust and reliability that Block has enjoyed for more than 65 years, or the deep relationship with consumers that Block has earned,” the lawsuit claims. “Instead of earning its own reputation under its own brand, Block, Inc. has decided to take a shortcut.”
This story was originally published December 16, 2021 at 10:39 AM.
