EasyGroup#EasyMobile

File:Airbus A320 G-UZLB of EasyJet 6.jpg aircraft]]

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File:Easyhotel Glasgow - geograph.org.uk - 3907564.jpg in Glasgow]]

The company was established to expand the "easy" brand following the launch of easyJet in 1995. The first use of "easy" after easyJet was the EasyInternetcafé established in June 1999,{{cite web|title=Witness Statement of Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou|url=http://www.easy.com/PDFs/EZJ/Stelios_%20redacted%20witness%20statement%20FINAL.PDF|work=High Court of Justice Chancery Division|access-date=26 February 2014|date=16 March 2010|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061435/http://www.easy.com/PDFs/EZJ/Stelios_%20redacted%20witness%20statement%20FINAL.PDF|url-status=dead}} followed by easyRentacar in 2000 which was renamed to easyCar in 2000.{{cite news|first=Nirmaylia Kumar|last=Brian Rogers|title=www.easyRentacar.com|date=1 January 2000|url=https://store.hbr.org/product/www-easyrentacar-com/IMD104|work=IMD}} The group is registered in the Cayman Islands,{{cite web|title=easyJet case turns spotlight on Stelios|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/c6e4c992-80b9-11df-be5a-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2up6TbA8Z|work=Financial Times|access-date=2 March 2014|date=26 June 2010}} but operates from its office in Kensington, London.

easyGroup is the holding company controlling the "easy" family of brands. Through its wholly owned subsidiary easyGroup IP Licensing Ltd, the company licences the easy brand to other businesses. The easyGroup of companies have a complex structure that contains elements of a generic conglomerate and a keiretsu, and sometimes it simply licences its brand. easyGroup publishes brand guidelines for all easy companies to follow.{{cite web|title=easyGroup Brand Manual|url=http://media.smashingmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/easy_jet.pdf|work=easyGroup |publisher=Smashing Magazine|access-date=2 March 2014|page=12|date=June 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616071228/http://media.smashingmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/easy_jet.pdf|archive-date=16 June 2013|url-status=dead}}

The easyGroup logo is known for its distinctive orange colour, Pantone 021.{{cite web|last=Walker|first=Duncan|title=Can you 'own' a colour?|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3555398.stm|work=BBC News|access-date=2 March 2014|date=11 August 2004}}

In 2002, Easyart.com (now King and McGaw) faced legal allegations from easyGroup over its use of the easy name, accusing Easyart of "passing off" on easyGroup's good name.{{cite web|url=http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/article1037306.ece|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529133228/http://www.thesundaytimes.co.uk/sto/business/article1037306.ece|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 May 2015|title=How I Made It: Gyr King, founder of King & McGaw|website=The Sunday Times|date=13 May 2012}} {{subscription required}} Before commencing legal action easyGroup's lawyers bombarded Easyart.com with threatening letters, despite having accepted £2,000 worth of advertising from the art company in its EasyInternet cafes not long after it launched. "This was a David and Goliath fight. It is a good day for smaller companies who stand up to bullying tactics from large corporations. We hope this gives hope to many other companies out there who are trading legitimately under the 'Easy' name and who have been threatened by this man", said Mr Matthews.{{cite web|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/11/12/easyart_com_to_face_stelios/|title=Easyart.com to face Stelios in 'easy' court action|website=The Register|date=12 November 2002}}{{Cite news|last=Gibson|first=Owen|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2003/may/09/newmedia|title=EasyGroup drops action against Easyart.com|date=9 May 2003|work=The Guardian|access-date=28 March 2020|issn=0261-3077}}

In 2005, easyGroup threatened legal action against a Welsh company which had been trading as EasyMobile since 2003, two years before the launch of easyGroup's easyMobile business which is not currently running.{{cite news|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/11/18/stelios_richemont|title=Posh Richemont latest to sue Stelios|publisher=The Register|date=18 November 2005|access-date=27 March 2013}} In 2006, easyGroup dropped action against London businessman Karl Kahn after it emerged that his EasyPizza business predated easyGroup's business of the same name by several years.{{cite news|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/20/stelios_loses_easypizza/|title=Hard cheese for Stelios in EasyPizza case|publisher=The Register|date=20 June 2006|access-date=27 March 2013}}

In 2008, a restaurant in Northampton agreed to stop calling itself "easyCurry" after threats of legal action from easyGroup.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/northamptonshire/7520855.stm|title=Easy name curry house climbs down|publisher=BBC|date=23 July 2008|access-date=27 March 2013}} As of 2009, differences had emerged at easyJet concerning travel-associated "extras" such as hotel bookings under the "easyJethotels" brand, and car hire under "easyJetcarhire". EasyGroup contended that it licensed the "easyJet" brand primarily for airline use, and that using the brand for hotel and car hire interfered with other EasyGroup businesses.{{cite news | first=David | last=Robertson | title=Stelios takes easyJet to court over branding | date= 16 August 2008 | work= The Times| url = http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article4543396.ece | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090107164856/http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/transport/article4543396.ece | url-status = dead | archive-date = 7 January 2009 | access-date = 6 September 2009 | location=London}}

In 2011, the Edmonton-based company Eezy Drive received a letter from easyGroup's lawyer Clarke Willmott, asking the owner Zeeshan Haniffa to stop using the name of his driving school, Ezee Drive Driving School, accusing him of "intellectual property infringement" and giving him seven days to destroy £1,000-worth of signs, leaflets and posters using the name, and hand over website domain names within two weeks.{{Cite web|url=https://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/9264054.easyjet-firm-accused-of-bullying-edmonton-driving-instructor-over-ezee-drive-name/|title=EasyJet firm accused of 'bullying' Edmonton driving instructor over Ezee Drive name|website=Enfield Independent|date=21 September 2011 |access-date=28 March 2020}}{{Cite news|last=Osborne|first=Alistair|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/8775166/EasyJet-founder-Sir-Stelios-Haji-Ioannou-bullying-driving-instructor-into-closing-Ezee-business.html|title=EasyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou 'bullying' driving instructor into closing 'Ezee' business|journal=Daily Telegraph|date=20 September 2011|access-date=28 March 2020|issn=0307-1235}} In 2012, a Northwich-based gym called Easy Exercise was challenged that it could not use the Easy name, with easyGroup citing "The easy name is synonymous with quality, value for money services and we have a duty to protect the public from its unauthorised use."{{cite web|title=Winnington company forced to rebrand after easyGroup High Court threat|url=http://www.northwichguardian.co.uk/news/9571780.Winnington_company_forced_to_rebrand_after_easyGroup_High_Court_threat/|work=Northwich Guardian|access-date=2 March 2014|date=7 March 2012}}

In September 2018, easyGroup was taking legal action against Netflix over its comedy series Easy, claiming its use of the name breaches its European trademarks. Netflix said in a statement that "viewers can tell the difference between a show they watch and a plane they fly in".{{Cite news|last=correspondent|first=Rebecca Smithers Consumer affairs|url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/sep/30/netflix-sued-by-easyjet-founder-in-trademark-dispute|title=Netflix sued by easyJet founder in trademark dispute|date=30 September 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=28 March 2020|issn=0261-3077}} In a ruling in 2021, EasyGroup Ltd v Easylife Ltd (formerly Easylife Group Ltd), and another [2021] EWHC 2150, Dr Jonathan Cornthwaite of the long-established legal firm Wedlake Bell said "This case was brought in attempt to prevent a retailing business called Easylife Ltd and its director from (among other things) using various brands incorporating the word 'easy'. However, the claimant not only lost its cases for trade mark infringement and passing off, but also suffered the revocation of various of its UK trade marks on the grounds of non-use."{{Cite news|url=https://uk.practicallaw.thomsonreuters.com/w-032-1145?transitionType=Default&contextData=(sc.Default)&firstPage=true|title=Ruling on validity and infringement of easyGroup trade marks (High Court)|date=2 August 2021|work=Thomson Reuters|access-date=13 May 2022}}{{Cite news|last=Cornthwaite|first=Jonathan|url=https://wedlakebell.com/suing-for-infringement-of-a-descriptive-trademark-isnt-easy-easygroup-v-easylife/ |title=Suing for Infringement of a Descriptive Trademark Isn't Easy (Easygroup v Easylife)|date=1 September 2021|work=Wedlake Bell|access-date=13 May 2022}}

In February 2022, easyGroup filed a lawsuit against the charity shopping website easyfundraising for "brand theft".{{Cite news|last=Yeomans|first=Jo|url=https://www.thetimes.com/business-money/markets/article/easygroups-sir-stelios-haji-ioannou-targets-easyfundraising-over-brand-theft-rwrws8nfk|title=EasyGroup's Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou targets Easyfundraising over 'brand theft'|date=20 February 2022|work=The Sunday Times|access-date=16 April 2022}} In April 2022, Stelios Haji-Ioannou was described as a "deeply unimpressive witness" who gave answers "that were defensive to the point of implausibility" by a High Court judge who oversaw a trademark disagreement involving EASYOFFICE, owned by a company called Nuclei. The judge, Mrs Justice Bacon, found in favour of Nuclei and said four easyGroup trademarks should be revoked on the "grounds of lack of genuine use".{{Cite news|last=Farmer|first=Brian|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/bacon-easyjet-justice-high-court-lawyers-b994234.html|title=Airline founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou 'deeply unimpressive witness' – judge|date=13 April 2022|work=Evening Standard|access-date=16 April 2022}}

In September 2024, a judgement in the High Court of Justice by The Honourable Mr Justice Fancourt ruled that Easyfundraising successfully defended against easyGroup's injunction to stop trading under 'easyfundraising',{{Citation |title=easyGroup Ltd v Easyfundraising Ltd & Ors [2024] EWHC 2323 (Ch) |date=11 September 2024 |url=https://www.bailii.org/ew/cases/EWHC/Ch/2024/2323.html |access-date=2024-09-12}} stating "….the average consumer would be unlikely to be confused merely on account of use of the word “easy”, even if the services could be regarded as having some degree of similarity."

As of 2024, easyGroup lists over 200 easy branded business ventures and websites in a wide range of sectors,[https://easy.com/explore-easy/ easy.com - Explore easy] retrieved 5 May 2024 including easyJet and easyBus.

Amongst the ventures formerly owned by easyGroup which are still in operation under new full or partial ownership are hotel chain easyHotel, financial intermediary services brand easyMoney and African low-cost airline Fastjet.

Examples for former easyGroup brands and business ventures that since ceased operations for various reasons are easyInternetcafé, easyCinema, easyCoach, easyCruise (which ceased operations after it had been sold to Hellenic Seaways),{{cite news | title=EasyCruise Sold to Hellenic Seaways | date= 18 August 2009 | publisher= Cruise Industry News| url = http://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/3093-81809-easycruise-sold-to-hellenic-seaways.html | access-date = 5 September 2009}} easyFoodstore{{Cite web |last=Marius |first=Callum |date=2022-11-20 |title=Hidden easyJet rudder makes it look like a plane is hidden in Wembley |url=https://www.mylondon.news/news/nostalgia/looks-like-hidden-easyjet-plane-25518732 |access-date=2023-09-16 |website=MyLondon |language=en}} and easyPizza.

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Category:EasyGroup

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