Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!pyramid!cbmvax!grr
From: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions
Subject: Re: UNIX or Unix
Message-ID: <3563@cbmvax.UUCP>
Date: 1 Apr 88 23:48:04 GMT
References: <7763@alice.UUCP> <485@flatline.UUCP>
Reply-To: grr@cbmvax.UUCP (George Robbins)
Organization: Commodore Technology, West Chester, PA
Lines: 18

In article <485@flatline.UUCP> erict@flatline.UUCP (eric townsend) writes:
> 
> Anybody ever notice the number of ads taken out by big corps in press/media
> related magazines that state: `"Foo" is a trademark of Foo, Inc.  Don't say
> "Foo", say "bah" -- the common noun`?

To keep a trademark the company has to show that it *has not* fallen into
common usage and that the company has defended it's trademark against
infringement.  A trademark like "Xerox" can be preserved only as long as
the lawyers dance fast enough, while one like "Coke" requires only occasional
object lessons that Coke doesn't mean "generic cola drink".

The ads serve both a putative educational puropose and as a demonstration
that the company has made the requesite efforts to defend their trademark.

-- 
George Robbins - now working for,	uucp: {uunet|ihnp4|rutgers}!cbmvax!grr
but no way officially representing	arpa: cbmvax!grr@uunet.uu.net
Commodore, Engineering Department	fone: 215-431-9255 (only by moonlite)