The Ruling of the Court of Appeal confirms Alma Media’s right to use Etuovi.com trademark in online services

Alma Media Corporation  Stock Exchange Release  31.12.2010 at 12.30 pm

THE RULING OF THE COURT OF APPEAL CONFIRMS ALMA MEDIA'S RIGHT TO USE ETUOVI.COM TRADEMARK IN ONLINE SERVICES

The Helsinki Court of Appeal has in its ruling given today confirmed that Alma Media has the right to use its established and well-known trademark ETUOVI.COM as the brand for its housing and real-estate online services.  The Court of Appeal changed to certain extent the rulings by the District Court of Helsinki from August 2008, in which Alma Media’s right to use the established and well-known trademark was described.

The ruling by the court of appeal is faulty in its view that the known and EU registered trademark ETUOVI.COM, owned by Alma Media Interactive Oy, is not protected as a widely known trademark, and therefore could not be used as the trademark of a newspaper. Alma Media will apply the Higher Court of Justice for permission to complain the ruling.

The ruling by the Court of Appeal has no effect to the use of Alma Media’s Etuovi.com trademark in business as the brand of housing and real estate online services and as the brand of related advertising and marketing services. Alma Media and Mr Jori-Pekka Träskbeck have several pending trials and authoritative proceedings related with the ETUOVI trademark.

 Etovi.com will continue as the most popular and best known national housing and real estate online service.

ALMA MEDIA OYJ

Rauno Heinonen
VP, Corporate Communications and IR

For more information, please contact:
Mikko Korttila, General Counsel, Alma Media Corporation, tel +358 50 5934589.

 Alma Media in brief

Alma Media is a continually renewing media company whose better-known brands include Aamulehti, Iltalehti, Kauppalehti and Etuovi.com. Alma Media employs around 3,000 professionals. Net sales amounted to EUR 307.8 million in 2009, and operating profit was 13.4 per cent of net sales. Alma Media’s shares (ALN1V) are listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange of the NASDAQ OMX. Read more at www.almamedia.fi

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