StepStone: Notification to Shareholders for Avoidance of Confusion
On 8 January 2008 StepStone ASA (OSE:STP) issued proceedings in
the High Court in London against Steppingstone Associates Plc alleging
infringement of registered trademarks and passing off.
In accordance with its duty of disclosure, to assist an orderly
market and to reduce confusion, StepStone wishes to make clear to all
existing and potential shareholders and its substantial customer base
that StepStone and Steppingstone Associates are completely unrelated
parties.
Detail
StepStone ASA ("StepStone") is the owner of the Community Trade
Mark for the word "StepStone" in respect of various goods and services
in classes 35, 38, 41, 42 and 45 including "employment agency
services" and the UK Trade Mark for the word "StepStone" in respect of
classes 35, 38 and 42 including "recruitment and employment services",
and the word "stepstone" in respect of various goods and services in
classes 9, 35 38, 41 and 42 including "human resources", "recruitment"
and "career counselling" services.
Steppingstone Associates Plc ("Steppingstone Associates") is a
company whose Admission Document to the Alternative Investment Market
on the London Stock Exchange states that its strategy is "one of
targeting profitable privately owned recruitment companies within the
communications (media, publishing, advertising and marketing)
sub-sector with a view to building greater shareholder value and
critical mass". On 10 January 2008, Steppingstone Associates was
admitted to the Alternative Investment Market on the London Stock
Exchange.
StepStone believes that by reason of its use and the proposed use
of the signs "Steppingstone" and "Steppingstone Associates",
Steppingstone Associates is likely to cause confusion in the market
with the business of StepStone, and to cause confusion to current and
potential investors and customers of StepStone. StepStone also
believes that Steppingstone Associates is infringing StepStone´s
registered trade marks and passing off its business as or for the
business of StepStone.
On 8 January 2008, StepStone issued proceedings in the High Court
in London against Steppingstone Associates for alleged infringement of
registered trade marks and passing off. StepStone is seeking
injunctions to refrain infringement of trade marks, an order for a
change of name to a name not including steppingstone or stepstone or
words confusingly similar thereto and other actions by Steppingstone
Associates.
In accordance with its duty of disclosure, to assist an orderly
market and to reduce confusion, StepStone wishes to make clear to all
existing and potential shareholders and its substantial customer base
that StepStone and Steppingstone Associates are completely unrelated
parties.
About StepStone
StepStone was founded in Norway in 1996 and pioneered the
development of online recruitment. Today, StepStone is a leading
provider of total talent management services and technology solutions.
StepStone´s public career websites cover 13 European countries,
providing high-quality candidates to recruiters quickly and
effectively through individually focused campaigns. In January 2007
StepStone completed the acquisition of ExecuTRACK, a global leader in
strategic Talent Management, which extends StepStone´s product and
service offerings to support total talent management - from
recruitment to on-boarding, training, career and succession planning,
performance management and more. Thousands of organisations including
Aviva, Amey, Royal Bank of Scotland, AXA, British Airways, Xerox and
Fiat use StepStone´s products and services to help them recruit
qualified staff globally. StepStone was the only
European-headquartered vendor to be recognised as a ´leader´ by
Gartner, Inc´s "Magic Quadrant for E-Recruitment Software, 2006"
report. For more information see: www.stepstone.com