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Xref: sserve gnu.misc.discuss:6190 comp.org.eff.talk:9014 comp.unix.bsd:4907 comp.os.mach:2109 misc.int-property:496 Newsgroups: gnu.misc.discuss,comp.org.eff.talk,comp.unix.bsd,comp.os.mach,misc.int-property,alt.suit.att-bsdi Path: sserve!manuel!munnari.oz.au!constellation!unmvax!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!sdd.hp.com!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!pipex!warwick!pavo.csi.cam.ac.uk!cam-cl!rwe11 From: rwe11@cl.cam.ac.uk (Richard Earnshaw) Subject: Re: Are you sure UNIX is a trade mark? Message-ID: <1992Sep11.084516.16908@infodev.cam.ac.uk> Sender: news@infodev.cam.ac.uk (USENET news) Nntp-Posting-Host: ely.cl.cam.ac.uk Reply-To: rwe11@cl.cam.ac.uk (Richard Earnshaw) Organization: U of Cambridge, England References: <KANDALL.92Sep9170758@globalize.nsg.sgi.com> <farrow.716074432@fido.Colorado.EDU> <18ns8rINNd81@agate.berkeley.edu> Distribution: inet Date: Fri, 11 Sep 1992 08:45:16 GMT Lines: 40 In article <18ns8rINNd81@agate.berkeley.edu>, ag@cogsci.Berkeley.EDU (Keith Gabryelski) writes: .... |> |> Pax, Keith |> |> Ps: |> |> When I four years old I used the words `Kleenex' and `Band-Aid' to |> refer to generic products of their respected kind. Neither company |> paid much attention to my obviously wrong use of their trademarked |> brand names. |> |> Both companies still have trademark rights to the names (albeit |> possibly on shakey ground). |> |> I doubt USL needs to pay attention to singular illerates. |> |> By the way: I don't speak for anyone but myself. I was always under the impression that dilution of a trade mark came from other companies being permitted to sell products using the same mark, if the manufacturer of `Scotties' were to start calling their product `Kleenex' and no action were taken then dilution would have occurred, but to say "pass me a Kleenex" is not. Similarly, many people I know call a vacuum cleaner a Hoover; but, to the best of my knowledge Hoover is still a trade mark of guess who... The same applies to the brand name Unix; what you or I call it is pretty irrelevant, so long as other companies don't try to market under the same name. Richard ------------------------------------------- Richard Earnshaw University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory Pembroke Street Cambridge CB2 3QG UK