A Minneapolis jury on Friday ruled against Fair Isaac and in favor of credit bureau Experian in an antitrust lawsuit filed by Fair Isaac against Experian. Fair Isaac claimed that it had exclusive trademark rights to credit scores utilizing any score range that overlapped 300 to 850. Fair Isaac claimed that Experian's VantageScore credit score violated its alleged trademark rights. Unfortunately for Fair Isaac, the Minneapolis jury disagreed.
"Today's verdict is a victory for Experian and for American consumers," said Kerry Williams, group president of credit services and decision analytics at Experian. "By preventing FICO from further stifling competition in the marketplace, the jury's decision will increase consumer choice in credit scoring."
The jury also found that Fair Isaac committed fraud on the Patent and Trademark Office in obtaining its trademark registration.
VantageScore is the credit reporting industry's first credit score developed jointly by the three national credit reporting companies to deliver consistent, objective credit scores across their respective databases. VantageScore provides consumers and businesses with a highly predictive, consistent score that is easy to understand and apply. VantageScore utilizes a range from 501 to 990 that naturally aligns with well-known A, B, C, D and F grade intervals, and is used by four of the top five U.S. financial institutions and eight of the top 10 credit card issuers.
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We haven recently found ourselves unable to rent even a cheap apartment - due to unfair debt collection, credit reporting, discrimination based on a disability - and apparent antitrust violations - what happened? Yes, we have always paid our rent on time. However, a couple of years ago, my son had an adolescent onset of a disabiity. The apartments had units available that would address his special needs - they were unwilling to permit a transfer, or otherwise accommodate the special needs. My son's doctor warned that he may have to be hospitalized, without the accommodations. In the interim, the unit we were in had a military guy move in above us, and he practiced his drills in his unfurnished unit, actually knocking pictures off the wall in our apartment.
ReplyDelete- Management was unable or unwilling to cause the conduct to cease - based on these two factors, we moved in the middle of the lease. It turns out that 10 days after we moved, Experian posted a debt owing to a community apartment - there is an agreement between all members of Experian to refuse to rent to anyone with a debt listed to another apartment community. We were not given 30 days to dispute the debt, an accounting of our deposit, and no claim was made that we actually owed any money. In checking, the Apartment had immediately rented, at a higher monthly rate than we were paying. yet, we are now blackballed by the unlawful posting. we are in formed that if we bring to another apartment certified proof that the disputed amount is paid - they will rent to us. If we don't then they are prohibited by the mutual agreement via Experian membership from doing so.
Querry: Is this conduct not:
1. A violation of the fair credit reporting act - lack of 30 day notice and right to dispute.
2. A violation of fair debt collection act - no due process and competetors joined together in an agreement to force payment to each other, without regards to a finding that a debt is owed, or deprive people of fundamental right to housing.
3. A violation by all involved of non-discrimination against those with disabilities in housing - a group that discriminates can have other discriminate by merely posting, without due process a "claim" of a debt, or undesirable tenant. . .
4. A violation of anti-trust laws by joining together with competitors with occupancy, benefit setting for members -