Citigroup Sues AT&T Over Right to Say ‘Thanks’ to Customers
- Bank says AT&T’s customer loyalty program infringes trademark
- AT&T responds that one company can’t own the word “thanks”
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Thanking loyal customers for their business may seem uncontroversial, but Citigroup Inc. has something to say about how exactly you do it.
The bank sued AT&T Inc. on Friday over the telecom company’s use of the trademarks “thanks” and “AT&T thanks” in a new customer-loyalty program. The use infringes several of Citigroup’s trademarks, including "ThankYou" and "Citi ThankYou," according to a complaint filed in Manhattan federal court.