Companies Challenge TEKsystems' Trademark

In a high-profile trademark dispute, three affiliated companies have filed a declaratory judgment complaint (attached below) against TEKsystems, Inc., in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. The lawsuit challenges TEKsystems’ right to trademark protection of the “TEK” term, both independently and in combination with other words.

Background

The plaintiffs are TeKnowledge Ops USA, Inc., TeKnowledge USA, Inc., and TeKnowledge Global Ltd. The companies, formerly operating under the name "Tek Experts," have been embroiled in legal battles with TEKsystems for years. The dispute centers around the use of "Tek" in branding, logos, and trade names. The plaintiffs assert that "Tek" is a generic term synonymous with "Tech" and widely used in the IT and staffing industries. They claim that TEKsystems has over-asserted its trademark rights, creating a hostile environment for competitors in a crowded marketplace of similar marks.

The lawsuit follows years of legal wrangling between the parties. In 2023, TEKsystems filed a trademark infringement case against the plaintiffs, which was later dismissed after a settlement agreement. Under the terms of the settlement, TEKsystems agreed that the plaintiffs' "Tek Experts" branding could coexist with its own marks. However, the plaintiffs claim that TEKsystems has continued to harass them over subsequent rebranding efforts, including their transition to "TeKnowledge" in 2024.

The lawsuit

The lawsuit contends that “TEK” is just another word for “TECH” and that many companies use the words, such as:

TEK REMEDY), TEK INSPIRATIONS LLC, TEK INVESTORS, NINJAS, TEK ON, TECH EXPERTS, TECH ARMY, TEK LINK, TEKSTREAM, TEKMONSTER, TEKSTART, TEKSERVE, TEKSURANCE, and TEKMARK

Relief Sought

The plaintiffs are asking the court to:
• Declare their use of "Tek Experts," "TeKnowledge," and related logos as non-infringing.
• Cancel TEKsystems' trademark registration for "TEK" due to fraud and abandonment.
• Prevent TEKsystems from asserting trademark claims based solely on the shared element "Tek."
• Award costs and attorneys' fees to the plaintiffs.
Implications for the Staffing Industry.

As the case unfolds, SLN will be watching to see whether the court sides with the plaintiffs' argument that the word “tek” is available for any staffing company to incorporate into its name.