• March 30, 2005

New York federal district court judge Richard Owen Tuesday denied the Interactive Advertising Bureau's request for a preliminary injunction against MediaPost Communications, ruling that MediaPost can continue to use the name "OMMA" in conjunction with its magazine, conferences, and award shows.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) filed a lawsuit against MediaPost last month that claimed the "OMMA" name was jointly developed and owned by both companies.

In a written order, Owen ruled in MediaPost's favor, holding that there was "no express agreement covering the rights to the name OMMA."

The IAB argued that people might be confused by MediaPost's use of OMMA, but Owen declined to issue an order on that basis, ruling: "[MediaPost has] cast sufficient doubt on whether IAB has joint ownership interest in the OMMA mark to diminish the weight of actual confusion." - Wendy Davis