Vapor
The Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents’ acronym Matta is a well-known catchphrase for Malaysians who keep a lookout for its annual travel fairs.
Of late, however, Matta appears to have a rival with a similar sounding acronym Mata.
The
acronym Mata used by the Malaysia Association Tour Agency (Persatuan
Agensi Pelancong Malaysia) has certainly irked the well-established
Matta, no thanks to the confusion the homophones have created in the
marketplace.
Matta Secretary-General Nigel Wong, in a statement
Saturday, said Matta is taking legal action against the
newly-registered Mata by issuing a letter of demand citing that the
latter has infringed on its trademark, caused misrepresentation and has
deliberately passed off Matta’s name and goodwill.
“We have demanded that Mata cease and desist using the infringing mark and infringing name and we also demanded a public apology to be published in leading national newspapers, failing which Matta will instruct it’s solicitors without any further delay to commence legal proceedings,” he said.
Meanwhile, Wong said Matta is currently seeking
an explanation from the Registrar of Society (ROS) on the approval for
Mata registration.
He said this was because ROS recorded that
five of the founders and current office bearers of Mata were also the
current office-bearers of Persatuan Agensi Pelancongan Umrah dan Haji
(Papuh), and two from Malaysia Tourism Council.
“On Sept 11,
2014, Matta held an Extraordinary General Meeting which voted
overwhelmingly to expel all five of the aforementioned office bearers
for causing moral and material damage to Matta,” he added.
At present, the 45-year-old Matta has a membership of more than 3,600 comprising travel agencies and tour operators licensed under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, and Culture.
Source: www.dailyexpress.com.my
Author:Bernama
Editor:Vapor