Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com May 22, 2017 • Hartford Business Journal 5 REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK Travelers, again, duels over logo infringement Travelers Cos. is back in court in anoth- er attempt to block the use of an umbrella logo by another financial services company. The property-casualty insurer, which has filed a number of previous trademark law- suits related to its umbrella logo, alleges in a suit filed this month in federal court that Ten- nessee investment advisory firm Virtue Capital Management is using a logo that is "confusingly simi- lar" to its iconic, red umbrella logo that it has used since 1960. The use of a simi- lar umbrella logo, Travelers argues, has damaged the insurer's brand and is likely to confuse or deceive the public. "Revenues generated from products and services sold in connection with the Travel- ers umbrella mark over the years have been substantial, including revenues exceeding $150 billion since 2008 alone," the May 5 lawsuit states. Travelers said it also spends "tens of millions of dollars" annually on advertising that incorporates the logo. "We have one of the best and most recog- nizable brands in the world and take seriously our responsibility to protect its value," Travel- ers spokesman Patrick Linehan said. Virtue Capital did not respond to a request for comment. As of press time, the company had not designated an attorney for the case, according to court records. Travelers claims that Virtue Capital launched a financial education website, RetirementAnswers101.com, last March that used a "prominent reddish upright umbrella logo" until November. The insur- er said Virtue Capital also attempted to trademark a logo that incorporated a small umbrella, but abandoned the application in November after Travelers objected. At that point, Travelers says, Vir- tue Capital changed its umbrella logo by adding lines and other elements to make it resemble a parachute (shown left). But Travelers argues that the changes were "minor" and "non-material." Travelers has asked the court to bar Vir- tue Capital from using the alleged infring- ing logos and to order the company to pay unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, attorney fees, and any profits earned from the alleged infringement. The suit isn't unique for Travelers, which has been fiercely protective of its logo. Since 2008, it has filed similar suits in Connecticut against Farmers Group, Pro- gressive Casualty Insurance, London-based Banner Life, TravelInsuanceCenter.com, and a California-based insurance agency, according to court records. All of those cases were settled or volun- tarily dismissed, and any financial settle- ments were not made public. – Matt Pilon Pratt St.'s weekday open-air market dawns Some of downtown Hartford's most resil- ient merchants are housed on Pratt Street. Nearly a year after an almost endless makeover of the one-way thoroughfare link- ing Trumbull and Main streets put a damper on theirs and customers' attitudes, Pratt Street merchants have revived a mar- keting tactic they say has led to a boost in business. Starting in early May, many of the three dozen or so owners of restaurants and merchandise-services bou- tiques flanking the brick-paved strip — as part of a city-sponsored pilot — began clos- ing Pratt Street to motor vehicles several midday hours during weekdays to create an open-air marketplace of sorts that is more welcoming to pedestrians. Specifically, the strip closes Monday through Thursdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. On Fridays, when live music is featured, Pratt stays closed to vehicles until 8 p.m. When weather permits, according to haba- dasher Jodi Morneault and Jordan Polon, executive director of the Hartford Business Improvement District, the district's blue-black clad staff of "ambassadors,'' sets up 20 tables and 60 chairs for visitors to eat their brown- bagged lunch or meals prepared by down- town eateries. The goal is to estab- lish a more pedestrian- friendly environment that encourages peo- ple to eat and shop in the city. The city is fund- ing the pilot with metered-parking rev- enue collected daily, officials said. "It really has helped everybody's business tremendously,'' said Morneault, who with husband Ron, owns men's/women's cloth- ing boutique Morneault's Stackpole Moore Tryon. Morneault said her sales double on the weekdays Pratt Street closes. The event, too, is popular with young work- ers/residents downtown, Morneault said. "It's like a meeting place for everyone to come to,'' she said. Eventually, Morneault says, Pratt Street merchants hope to extend their open-air marketplace to Saturdays, and invite area farmers to sell their fresh produce. – Gregory Seay REDEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY MONSON DEVELOPMENT CENTER – FOR SALE The sale and redevelopment of a portion of the former Monson Development Center presents an exciting opportunity to create a unique mixed-use development to support a mainly rural economy (and expanding light industrial economy) in the village-like historic Town of Monson. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is seeking responses to the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the purchase and sale of a portion of this state-owned property. Please refer to the RFP for site tour and specific submission requirements. MONSON DEVELOPMENT CENTER: • 256+/- acres for sale — bid on entire site or an Area • Historic property may be eligible for federal and state Historic Tax Credits • Town supports mixed use development • Adjacent to hundreds of acres of protected agricultural and recreation land • Includes undeveloped rail spur TO OBTAIN THE RFP: www.mass.gov/DCAMM/Monson2017 Read, text, surf or relax. Take a bus, train, carpool or vanpool. Find out more at REBOOT YOUR COMMUTE! Pratt Street closes for several hours weekdays to promote shopping-dining foot traffic. P H O T O | H A R T F O R D B U S I N E S S I M P R O V E M E N T D I S T R I C T G R A P H I C | C O N T R I B U T E D

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