I just saw a TV commercial for a home computer called "Explorer". At first
I thought, "What? TI is marketing their Lisp Machine to home users?" From
the rest of the commercial I found out that it is a completely different
machine by a different manufacturer.
So, did TI forget to trademark the name "Explorer"? Or are these new guys
about to get their asses sued?
Barry Margolin, Thinking Machines Corp.
······@think.com
{uunet,harvard}!think!barmar
In article <·····@news.Think.COM> ······@Think.COM (Barry Margolin) writes:
>I just saw a TV commercial for a home computer called "Explorer". At first
>I thought, "What? TI is marketing their Lisp Machine to home users?" From
>the rest of the commercial I found out that it is a completely different
>machine by a different manufacturer.
>
>So, did TI forget to trademark the name "Explorer"? Or are these new guys
>about to get their asses sued?
No kidding, there is a company marketing a vacuum cleaner called "VAX".
What is DEC going to do? (sorry about the group, just following up).
In article <·····@bu-cs.BU.EDU> ···@cs.bu.edu (Al Thompson) writes:
>No kidding, there is a company marketing a vacuum cleaner called "VAX".
>What is DEC going to do?
That's not a problem (although I remember being startled when I saw that
commercial, too), because trademarks are only valid within a particular
industry. You could name your computer Corvette and not have to worry
about Ford coming after you. But if you come out with a new car and call
it Corvette you can expect to be in court pretty soon.
Barry Margolin, Thinking Machines Corp.
······@think.com
{uunet,harvard}!think!barmar
In article <·····@news.Think.COM> ······@Think.COM writes:
>In article <·····@bu-cs.BU.EDU> ···@cs.bu.edu (Al Thompson) writes:
>>No kidding, there is a company marketing a vacuum cleaner called "VAX".
>>What is DEC going to do?
>
>That's not a problem (although I remember being startled when I saw that
>commercial, too), because trademarks are only valid within a particular
>industry. You could name your computer Corvette and not have to worry
>about Ford coming after you. But if you come out with a new car and call
>it Corvette you can expect to be in court pretty soon.
Yeah, but isn't Beretta going after Chevrolet right now?
Sorry about the group, again.
In article <·····@news.Think.COM>, ······@Think.COM writes:
> You could name your computer Corvette and not have to worry
> about Ford coming after you.
Maybe, but GM would probably not be amused.
cross-industry trademark disputes are possible on the theory that the
infringing new mark "dilutes" the public perception of a "secondary
meaning" of the mark. That is the basis of the Beretta - GM suit and
was the basis of the Lexis/Lexus suit. Beretta argues that someday
someone will wander into Joe's Guns, see a Beretta over/under and
say "Hey - a General Motors shotgun - they want $900 for THAT?".
dave sueme
From: Rob Ballantyne
Subject: Re: Explorer
Date:
Message-ID: <167@fornax.UUCP>
In article <·····@news.Think.COM>, ······@Think.COM writes:
> In article <·····@bu-cs.BU.EDU> ···@cs.bu.edu (Al Thompson) writes:
...
> industry. You could name your computer Corvette and not have to worry
********
> about Ford coming after you. But if you come out with a new car and call
****
> it Corvette you can expect to be in court pretty soon.
...
>
> ······@think.com
> {uunet,harvard}!think!barmar
As it turns out Corvettes are made by Ford - It's all a communist plot :-)
Rob Ballantyne
Department of Mathematics & Statistics
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, BC
Canada
········@css.cs.sfu.ca