Mequon firm sues Charter over Spectrum brand name

Charter Communications is being sued over use of the Spectrum brand name, with a Mequon firm saying it’s weary of getting calls from people who think it’s the cable company.

SpectrumIT Inc., a Florida company with an office in Mequon, provides computer network services for businesses.

In its lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Milwaukee, SpectrumIT alleges that Charter violated its trademark by using Spectrum as a brand name for its cable and broadband services.

Charter’s use of Spectrum has been a source of confusion, according to SpectrumIT.

“People have misdirected complaints about Charter’s services to SpectrumIT. As a recent example of the continuing nature of misdirected complaints, a gentleman entered a SpectrumIT office on July 10, 2018, noticeably upset, looking for the person in charge, wanting to discuss his old Time Warner Cable/Charter account. After SpectrumIT employees explained that SpectrumIT was not the company he was looking for, the gentleman pointed to the door and asked, ‘Then how do you explain that?,’ referring to the SpectrumIT name on the door in a stern manner, questioning the employees’ assertion,” the lawsuit says.

Stanford, Conn.-based Charter acquired Time Warner Cable in 2016, moving into Milwaukee and other markets under the Spectrum brand.

Charter said Friday it did not have a comment about the lawsuit.

In the complaint, filed Thursday, SpectrumIT says Charter customers have mistakenly returned Charter equipment to the Mequon office.

Both companies offer network, cloud and Wi-Fi services, adding to the confusion, the lawsuit says.

Charter has received 22 trademark registrations that include the word Spectrum, according to SpectrumIT.

“The SPECTRUMIT mark has been continuously used by SpectrumIT prior to Charter’s use of the nearly identical trade name, and therefore SpectrumIT’s marks have priority,” the lawsuit says.

The complaint seeks to end Charter’s use of the Spectrum name. It also seeks an unspecified dollar amount in damages.