fello v. mello

loanDepot initiated a lawsuit in California's federal court against Flashhouse LLC, claiming that Flashhouse's real estate platform, fello, bears too close a resemblance to its own platform, mello, potentially leading to customer confusion. 

The lawsuit alleges that Ohio-based Flashhouse's use of a similar trademark for its mortgage and real estate services infringes on loanDepot's registered trademarks and dilutes its brand identity.

The complaint highlights the visual similarities between the logos of the two companies and points to the use of nearly identical email addresses for customer engagement as evidence of potential consumer deception. 

"Although loanDepot has been using its MELLO Mark for more than six years, FlashHouse has recently commenced use of its confusingly similar trademark, FELLO, in connection with real estate services," the complaint states. "In an apparent effort to further confuse consumers, FlashHouse has also copied the style and look of loanDepot’s MELLO Mark and mimicked other aspects of loanDepot’s use of its MELLO Mark."

loanDepot seeks a court order to halt Flashhouse's use of the fello logo, arguing that failure to do so will result in ongoing harm to its business. Flashhouse did not respond to requests for comment and has not responded yet in court.