Globe pulls out product

Just recently, Globe Telecom pulled out from the market its latest mobile broadband stick “Tonino Lamborghini” after the Italian company that owns the brand threatened to sue for trademark infringement. Globe says that it has temporarily stopped marketing the USB device which was introduced last June until its problems with the Italian firm Tonino Lamborghini have been sorted out. (although one tech blogger reports though that Globe stores in SM MegaMall and North EDSA are still selling the stick.) The defense of the Ayala-owned telecom company is that had gotten the rights to use the name and logo “Tonino Lamborghini” through an agreement with a Singapore-based company called Primo Mobile, which it described to be “the master franchisor of mobile phone-related products for the Italian brand Tonino Lamborghini.” Globe added that the design of the Globe Tattoo Tonino Lamborghini 4G broadband stick was reviewed and approved by Primo Mobile. Tonino Lamborghini responded by saying that Primo Mobile had been granted only a trademark license - neither a master license nor a master franchise – and had no authority to sub-license the use of the Tonino Lamborghini trademark and logo. In any case, Primo Mobile’s trademark license agreement had been terminated some months ago. Is the claim of Tonino Lamborghini that Primo Mobile was unauthorized to sub-license the use of its trademark actually true? Did Primo Mobile mislead Globe that it was the master franchisor of mobile phone-related products for Tonino Lamborghini? Did Globe fail to conduct due diligence, dealing with an unauthorized Singaporean company rather than the Italian firm itself? Tonino Lamborghini makes a further allegation versus Globe that the advertising campaign for its broadband stick was “deceitful and unlawful”. Globe used the slogan “Feed the need for speed”, with Marlon Stockinger, the first Filipino to win a formula race in Europe as its endorser. It turns out however that Tonino Lamborghini is known for hand-made watches, while another Italian company Automobili Lamborghini is the maker of luxury sports cars.