Protus IP chief executive Joseph Nour.

Internet fax provider Protus has won another victory in its legal battle with Hollywood's j2 Global Communications, this time in the United Kingdom.

The Ottawa-based company said it has successfully opposed a U.K. trademark application for the word 'efax' against j2, with the U.K. Intellectual Property Office issuing a decision upholding Protus's opposition to the j2's registration of 'efax' as its own trademark because the mark was clearly descriptive.

"This is just another victory in a string of recent wins against j2," said Protus's general counsel, Andrea Girones, in a statement. "This U.K. win is significant for us as our market presence continues to grow in Europe.

"We have also challenged the registration of the mark in the United States and we are confident that our opposition to 'efax' as a mark in the U.S. will also be successful."

In 2005, j2 launched a patent lawsuit against Protus accusing the company of infringing on five patents with its MyFax and Virtual Fax online fax services. Both companies offer services which allow customers to send and receive faxes through the Internet and e-mail, instead of through a physical fax machines.

The case against Protus was dismissed with prejudice in December 2007 by U.S. District Court Jude Dean Pregerson, which means that the patents cannot be reasserted against the company.

The patents are held by Georgia patent holding company Catch Curve, who had licensed the technology to more than 30 companies before suing Protus.

"MyFax continues to be of the highest quality and is the fastest-growing Internet fax product on the market," stated Protus CEO Joseph Nour. "We're committed to maintaining a leadership role and continuing to bring superior solutions to meet evolving business needs."