Columbia settles lawsuit over “COMO Connect,” will rebrand transit system

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the city of Columbia over a trademark dispute.

The suit was filed last year by Co-Mo Comm, Inc., an electric company out of Tipton. The company claimed ownership of “CO-MO CONNECT” and said it had been using it since February 2011.

Columbia began using “COMO CONNECT” in August 2014 after launching a re-branding initiative for its transit system.

An agreement was reached last Friday that requires Columbia to cease using the language by Aug. 18. At that time, Columbia will start operating its transit system under “GO COMO.”

On Tuesday, the city’s attorney confirmed the transition to “GO COMO” was already underway.

The settlement agreement also shows that despite agreeing to the name change, the city denied any wrongful use of “COMO CONNECT.”

The city will not have to pay the electric company, but it will have to pay for rebranding costs.