Psion Not Going Down Without A Fight Over The Netbook Trademark

from the this-won't-end-well dept

Tue, Mar 3rd 2009 3:41pm — Mike Masnick

Late last year, Psion kicked off an attempt to reclaim the "netBook" trademark the company had largely abandoned years earlier, now that it was suddenly popular for reasons that had nothing to do with Psion's old discontinued netBook product. After making a big stink about it, both Dell and Intel moved to have Psion's trademark cancelled as abandoned. However, Psion is fighting back, not just with a response to the request to cancel, but with a lawsuit against Intel on a number of different fronts. Psion is claiming unfair business practices and also challenging Intel for "cybersquatting" on the netbook.com domain name. Of course, given that Psion was selling its product long before Intel had the name, you have to wonder how that's cybersquatting? Shouldn't Psion have tried to acquire the name back when it actually mattered? In the end, it seems like Psion is spending an awful lot of money to try to get the goodwill put into the "netbook" name by others over the past year and a half. It's a pretty obvious abuse of trademark law that hopefully a court will slap down.

Filed Under: netbooks, trademark
Companies: intel, psion

7 Comments

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Dudley Doright, 3 Mar 2009 @ 6:05pm

Submarine Trademark ?
What's next - someone with a trademark on Douche Bag ?
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- Anonymous Coward, 3 Mar 2009 @ 6:42pm
  
  Re: Submarine Trademark ?
  You sir, are a tard.
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- ehrichweiss, 3 Mar 2009 @ 7:12pm
  
  Re: Submarine Trademark ?
  Cease and desist. My company, Pulditowtamuhazz, was using the trademark 5 years ago until we moved onto our new model, Giant Turd.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Mar 2009 @ 12:49am

"...."netBook" trademark the company had largely abandoned years earlier.."

I guess we can always rely on the Masnicks for the decisive legal opinion (perhaps we shouldn't bother with legal processes at all), and the fact that the masnick's opinions always are in favor of what ever the Amaerican business wants is just coincidence.
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- Mike (profile), 4 Mar 2009 @ 2:39am
  
  Re:
  I guess we can always rely on the Masnicks for the decisive legal opinion (perhaps we shouldn't bother with legal processes at all), and the fact that the masnick's opinions always are in favor of what ever the Amaerican business wants is just coincidence.
  
  That's an odd statement, and one easily disproved by anyone who looks around. We quite clearly side with non-American businesses all the time -- especially when it comes to things like ITC challenges, and we quite clearly complain about the activities of American businesses all the time. I mean, honestly, have you ever read this site?!?
  
  But, you know, little things like reality are apparently unimportant when your only purpose in life is to post a series of unsubstantiated comments that are either false rumors or outright insults as an anonymous coward. You must be so proud of yourself.
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  - Xyro TR1 (profile), 4 Mar 2009 @ 12:12pm
    
    Re: Re:
    ... owned.
    
    I'm assuming that Psion's bringing all this attention to the name for publicity, even if it's not positive publicity... at least it gets it's name out there. That said, it's still unbelievably stupid.
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Anonymous Coward, 4 Mar 2009 @ 4:27pm

I thought Psion simply faded away years ago?
after all they don't have ANY relevant products on the market currently (can't even think of a single product they DO have atm)...this tired old dog needs to be put out of its misery.....
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