Minnesota Public Radio takes legal action over ‘Current’ name

Minnesota Public Radio is suing a Boston-based company for infringing on the trademark for 89.3 The Current, MPR’s contemporary music service.

In a complaint filed June 28 in Minnesota U.S. District Court, MPR accused the for-profit company Listen Current of trademark infringement and deceptive trade practices. Founded by former public radio journalist Monica Brady-Myerov, Listen Current develops lesson plans around public radio content for use in classrooms.

“By using the Listen Current designation in connection with radio programming, Listen Current is willfully and intentionally trading upon the goodwill MPR has at its considerable expense and effort developed in its The Current mark,” the complaint said. “Defendant thereby has caused and is causing MPR substantial and irreparable harm and injury.”

MPR asked Listen Current “at least as early as August 2014” to stop using the name, according to the complaint. Listen Current applied that year to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to register its name but withdrew the application after MPR opposed it.

In its lawsuit, MPR asked for an injunction barring Listen Current from using the name, as well as monetary damages and attorney’s fees.

MPR took legal action once before to defend the Current name, suing the now-defunct Current TV over the trademark in 2006. That case was settled.