Fidelity holding firm sues to protect name use

BOSTON – FIL Ltd., the holding firm of the Fidelity group of companies that manages $233 billion of assets, sued Singapore and Hong Kong companies for using the Fidelity name without its permission, Bloomberg News reported last week.
FIL accused Fidelity Trust & Wealth Pte in Singapore of using the name “Fidelity” to take unfair advantage of the distinctiveness of the mark and said in a lawsuit filed at the Singapore High Court that it creates confusion. A closed hearing was scheduled for Oct. 30.
In a separate lawsuit filed in Hong Kong in August, FIL is seeking a court order to stop Fidelity International Group Ltd. from claiming that it’s authorized or licensed by FIL.
FIL, known as Fidelity Worldwide Investment, is partly owned by the billionaire Johnson family, which founded Boston’s Fidelity Investments. •