Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!sri-unix!rutgers!labrea!aurora!ames!sdcsvax!ucbvax!jade!opal.berkeley.edu!csaron From: csaron@opal.berkeley.edu (Aron Roberts) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.amiga Subject: Re: McIntosh <=> MacIntosh Message-ID: <4866@jade.BERKELEY.EDU> Date: Mon, 24-Aug-87 02:06:09 EDT Article-I.D.: jade.4866 Posted: Mon Aug 24 02:06:09 1987 Date-Received: Tue, 25-Aug-87 01:41:08 EDT References: <8708220352.AA24519@cogsci.berkeley.edu> <137@stech.UUCP> <20263@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Sender: usenet@jade.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: csaron@opal.berkeley.edu (Aron Roberts) Organization: University of California, Berkeley Lines: 43 Xref: mnetor comp.sys.mac:5926 comp.sys.amiga:7719 In article <20263@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> munson@renoir.Berkeley.EDU.UUCP (Ethan V. Munson) writes: > > [...] > >Note: Just think how much money you could make as a fly-by-night purveyor >oF Korean computers if your company has a figurehead president whose last name >is MacIntosh. (Trademarks are not supposed to prevent people from using >their legal name on any product they sell themselves) I'm sure Apple has >thought of this. > A man named Robert Corr (and his wife, whose name I don't recall at the moment, but who was also a significant entrepreneurial player) founded a company that sold "natural" sodas, in flavors like Ginseng Rush and Mandarin Lime. These sodas were packaged in cans with the name "Corr's" printed in script on the side. After achiving significant sales, Mr. Corr's company was sued not too long ago by none other than the (Joseph) Coors breweries, presumably for trademark infringement. If you've noticed, the cans of "Corr's" on the super- market shelves now also bear the name "Robert," in slightly smaller letters, possibly as a direct outcome of this litigation. Apparently, at least in this case, the potential for brand confusion was given some consideration when weighed against Mr. Corr's right to use his own name as a product trademark. I believe that the pop artist and "synthesizer wiz" Thomas Dolby ("She Blinded Me with Science"), who changed his name so that "Dolby," formerly one of his two middle names, became his last name, also ran into a court battle with the company holding the rights to the Dolby recording process. To the best of my recollection, the performer prevailed over the company. By the way, one of the ubiquitous "Apple reps on the net"--to whom we all owe a tremendous debt of gratitude for their active and worthy participation here in comp.sys.mac--pointed out earlier this year that Apple has reached an agreement with McIntosh Laboratories and no longer has to include its disclaimer about the Macintosh trademark being licensed from the audio equipment maker. Aron Roberts Tolman Microcomputer Facility 1535 Tolman Hall, University of California Berkeley, CA 94720 (415) 642-2251 csaron@opal.Berkeley.EDU CSARON@UCBCMSA.BITNET