03-30-2002, 05:48 PM
|
|
Contributing Editor Emeritus
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 8,228
|
|
Overly agressive protection of slogan?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/03/29/BU173196.DTL
I am all for protecting intellectual property, be it code, slogans, logo's or designs. However, sometimes a corporation goes just a little too far in protecting their name, jingle or catch phrase. Palm did it last year when they went after fan sites that dared use the word "palm" in their URL. Once they realized their mistake, they quickly reversed course and welcomed these fan sites to use their name, but not before losing some of the more prominent ones.
Obviously, Intel has spent billions of dollars on their "Intel Inside" campaign. "Because of this, Intel argues, the linguistic construction '(Blank) Inside,' whether concerning state-of-the-art technology or a centuries-old spiritual practice, should uniquely belong to the chipmaker.
Now they have turned their arsenal of attorney's on a group of people in California that is helping prisoners. "Yoga Inside began with gang members in Southern California juvenile-detention facilities. The "inside" refers to incarceration. "But it has a double meaning," Stephens said. "It also refers to taking yoga within you. At no point in time was there a connection to Intel. It never even crossed my mind."
Now, if this were some technology or manufacturing company using this slogan, Intel should vigorously defend their property, but this is a little non-profit group actually trying to help make society a better place by aiding in the reformation of gang members in juvenile detention. I'd rather they had "Yoga Inside" versus "Hate Inside." Wouldn't you? Now that Intel has shown they will defend their property, perhaps it is time to back off of this particular case before they experience "Backlash Inside."
|
| |
|
|
|
03-30-2002, 06:26 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 61
|
|
RE: Overly agressive...
Are you kidding me? I can understand is someone was using "(whatever) Inside" with some real resemblance to Intel. But this, this strikes me as some people at Intel having WAY too much time on their hands.
|
| |
|
|
|
03-30-2002, 07:08 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 22
|
|
This is a bad sign. I always watch companies for when it looks like the lawyers have started to run the show. The same thing happened with Real when their license agreeements for use of their technology becamse so restrictive, even the developers started to tell them to get lost. Somebody high up at Intel should have looked at this case before it even happened and shot it down. Instead, this could be a firestorm for them.
Sheesh...going after a program to help teach peace to inmates? Baaaaaad move.
|
| |
|
|
|
03-30-2002, 07:10 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 22
|
|
Not the first time this sort of thing has happened with Intel. Samsonite did a very clever "Samsonite Outside" ad campaign a few years ago, and got into legal difficulties with Intel over it.
---Ell
|
| |
|
|
|
03-30-2002, 07:57 PM
|
|
Ponderer
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 53
|
|
pathetic
|
| |
|
|
|
03-30-2002, 11:39 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 21
|
|
So, are you guys just as annoyed when Microsoft goes after site owners with Microsoft in their URLs to make them change? Or how about Microsoft going after the makers of Lindows? Does that annoy you as a cheap legal move?
|
| |
|
|
|
03-30-2002, 11:54 PM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 16
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Steve
Or how about Microsoft going after the makers of Lindows? Does that annoy you as a cheap legal move?
|
Lindows is a non-word that sounds like Windows, an established product in the same line of business. Ever seen fake brands (sold on NYC's streets and 3rd world countries) like Reebak, Ann Tylor, Panasoanic? Same with Lindows. But Yoga Inside versus Intel Inside? Absurd.
|
| |
|
|
|
03-31-2002, 12:00 AM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 21
|
|
And Windows came along after MIT's X Windows, which is in the same line of business. True? Also, it does not necessarily have to be in the same line of business. "Toys R Us" has won every "R Us" trademark case they've filed, regardless of the line of business that the company was in.
|
| |
|
|
|
03-31-2002, 12:00 AM
|
|
Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
|
|
Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Steve
So, are you guys just as annoyed when Microsoft goes after site owners with Microsoft in their URLs to make them change? Or how about Microsoft going after the makers of Lindows? Does that annoy you as a cheap legal move?
|
I don't know what Microsoft does with companies that have Windows in the name - I know that I had to "license" windowsce.kensai.com from them, but it was just me signing a document - zero cost. I have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I don't like companies trying to rule with an iron fist over any aspect of the Internet. On the other hand, I know they have to protect their trademarks. If they did what Palm did - "Change your name or we'll sue you" than I disagree very strongly. If they did a licensing thing, like they did with me, then I don't see a problem with it. A lot has to do with their approach and attitude.
The Lindows thing is a little different - it's a commercial product I believe - but ultimately Microsoft gave them far more free publicity with the lawsuit than it they had just ignored them, and they'd fade into obscurity like most things Linux. :roll:
As for this Intel thing: Intel is going to rue the day they did this. They're going to get a big publicity black eye over this. One more reason why I prefer AMD.
|
| |
|
|
|
03-31-2002, 12:12 AM
|
|
Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 21
|
|
Jason,
Palm's email to the website owners said that they must EITHER change their URL (to palmos******.com, for example) or license the name, just as Microsoft did with you and Chris DeHerrera. But of course you guys will always twist it around to insinuate that what Palm did was EVIL and what Microsoft did (which was the exact same thing) was not. Try starting a website with "Microsoft" in the URL and see if you don't get a letter from Microsoft's legal department.
Also, you do the same thing on the "Intel Inside" incident. In this case, Intel is BAD to do this but Microsoft going after Lindows (after Microsoft "borrowed" Windows from MIT's X Windows) is justisfied.
It's one thing to be "Microsoft fans" but it's another thing to lack common sense.
BTW, it should be spelled "aggressive" not "agressive."
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Linear Mode
