Marsh in dispute over Marshmallow trademark

Insurtech startup Marshmallow is fighting broker Marsh’s attempt to block the use of its name, according to a Jan. 18 press release.

Marshmallow is a UK insurance company that is focused on driving innovation in the migrant motor insurance market.

Founded in early 2017, Marshmallow’s mission is to empower people to move and live in a foreign country, by offering them easy access to affordable insurance and financial products. Their first offering, motor insurance, is launching in 2018.

Marsh has, according to the press release laid claim to the word Marshmallow, which was the name chosen by founder entrepreneurs and twin brothers Oliver and Alexander Kent-Braham for their London-based startup.

Marsh was not immediately available for comment.

Marshmallow received notification of the trademark infringement claim after they came up with the idea in 2016 and registered the name - something they ran past lawyers at the time.

The founders have since spent “thousands of pounds” defending their name and have tried to settle it, but with no agreement from Marsh.

"It’s the principle," said Oliver Kent-Braham. "There is a huge amount of InsurTech innovation in the UK at the moment. We believe that this is a good thing for consumers and should be supported not stifled by large incumbents like Marsh.

"Unfortunately, in this instance, a huge global company is trying to use their wealth and resources to squash us. Marsh and Marshmallow are very different names, both visually, orally and conceptually, and we would have been doing ourselves and other startups a disservice if we didn’t stand up for ourselves."

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) is now mediating on the matter and could come to a conclusion as soon as the end of January. If the IPO rules against the brothers, they said they would consider taking the case to court.

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