The “Bell FIBE” trademark was challenged in the Federal Court of Canada

Bell Canada’s trademark FIBE, an Ontario company that provides television, telephone and Internet services in many provinces of the country, is being attacked in federal court because it lacks a distinctive feature of the English word “fiber.”

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SkyChoice Communications said in a statement Tuesday that trademarking the first four letters of the word “FIBER” risks preventing independent Internet service providers from using the word FIBE in their branding.

However, fiber optic technology is “now a key selling point when promoting fast and reliable Internet service,” the company said.

“Independent internet service providers already operate at a competitive disadvantage due to limited or prohibited access to existing fiber optic facilities in Canada, one of the countries with the most expensive internet service prices in the world,” said SkyChoice CEO Serge Cormier.

The Ontario company, which provides television, telephone and Internet services in several provinces across the country, pointed out that Canadian regulations generally prohibit the registration of marks that are likely to be confused with common words.