H&R Block Requests Rehearing in Trademark Infringement Case

Following H&R Block’s defeat in the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, the tax software provider is asking the full court to review its reversal of a district court’s order enjoining the parent company of a competing service from using similar branding.

In a petition for rehearing filed February 21, H&R Block urged the Eighth Circuit to reconsider its January 24, 2023, ruling finding there was not enough evidence to satisfy H&R Block’s burden of proof that Block Inc. infringed upon H&R Block’s trademark. The circuit’s majority opinion vacated the preliminary injunction imposed on Block, Inc. by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri.

Block, Inc. began in 2009 as Square, Inc., initially providing card reading and point-of-sale software. Square, Inc. later branched out in other areas of business, including peer-to-peer money transfer app Cash App. Square, Inc. acquired Credit Karma Tax, a free tax service. Credit Karma Tax was rebranded to Cash App Taxes and incorporated into the digital Cash App platform. Square, Inc. changed its name to Block, Inc. in December 2021, in part to denote a sense of building blocks or local businesses on a neighborhood block.

Read the source article at tax.thomasreuters.com