Comments on: Netbook enthusiast web sites getting C & D using term “netbook”

By: Jim

Jim — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 20:14:17 +0000

I believe everytime someone searches for Netbooks that this possibly hurts my business
As the legal owner of the trademark netbookpro.com and also it’s domain name, I feel that a C&D letter from my company to Psion or any company using the internet to prompt products using the Netbook or Netbookpro would be apporiate..Whereas Netbookpro.com is an internet based company which depends on the internet for business. Your comments would be appreciated—Jim

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 08 Feb 2009 04:13:56 +0000

Sensoring the internet is a human rights issue. The internet needs an e-first-amendment.

By: AspenTech

AspenTech — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:06:28 +0000

Netbook is just as funny as Microsoft Windows, HP Notebook and and many others despite the fact that Psion was the best Netbook I ever had, even better than the Psion3, 3a and 5mx-series and I have had many later editions of PDAs such as Qtech PocketPC and many others.
There are also many other funny trademarks such as Ford,Opel,Toyota,Honda etc, which are just personal names after all.
Arne Asberg
AspenTech

By: ozzyaberg

ozzyaberg — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:46:40 +0000

So any book purchased from Internet (the net) would be a netbook, plenty of dough to dig there for the Psion attorneys

By: Mohssine

Mohssine — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:25:27 +0000

According to wikipedia:
“The term had existed previously – although related to specific products rather than a category of laptops…
- Psion in 1999 had used the product name ‘netbook’, and in 2008 claimed trademark rights to the term where used in a product name.
MSI had registered the product name Wind Netbook.
Coby Electronics had registered the product name Coby Netbook.”

I guess it will be hard to reclaim a term that has now become generic in reference to mini notebooks…

By: Kenneth Kwok

Kenneth Kwok — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 09:08:36 +0000

I would thing we should fight back if they do send us letters.

By: Jim

Jim — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 21:26:07 +0000

As the legal owner of the trademark netbookpro.com and also it’s domain name, I feel that a C&D letter from my company to Psion should be apporiate.Your comments would be appreciated.———Jim

By: Richard

Richard — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 12:31:16 +0000

In my garage is a rake that I used regularly until I got my leaf-blower. I haven’t used it for 5 years but may again one day if the leaf-blower goes bad. In the meanwhile my garage is locked because, knowing my neighbor as I do, he would be over here in a minute and my rake (and leaf-blower) would be gone. If he breaks in and takes my rake I will notify the police and a judge will deal with him.

By: David

David — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 00:53:15 +0000

Unfortunately feelings and hopes don’t have anything to do with intellectual property rights of individuals and/or corporations. Those that feel this is much to do about nothing have neither developed nor owned the rights to a product or concept that they’ve worked hard to develop. A product that after its development is taken be someone else for their own financial gain.

My guess is that these are the same people that believe pirating DVD’s, CD’s and MP3’s is also acceptable. Any group of investors willing to put up the money to develop a product should be afforded the legal protection for their investment.

This may seem to be trivial for the common person. What is happening is a company is displaying the active and continued protection of a registered trademark. The alternative is if the company fails to actively protect its trademark, it may loose its right when a more significant infringement occurs.

This is more about how the legal system views trademark protection than about a company sending “Cease and Desist” letters. I’m sure Psion would rather be spending it’s monies on other things than trying to protect a registered trademark if they didn’t have too. Unless, not protecting their Trademark would result in the termination of their rights. Then it becomes a necessary business expense in the best interests of the share holders of the company. Try developing a MP3 player call it an “Apple”.

It’s a difference without a distinction.

By: Solly

Solly — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 14:48:22 +0000

Maybe Psion should rather put their money into producing a new generation Netbook.

Given the quality of their products in the past they will be able to kick some serious butt in the market place. I am still using my MX5. May I add that I am already on my 4th one!

By: Keith

Keith — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 22:01:50 +0000

Yes, Psion first came out with the netBook running their own software and then converted to Windows CE with the netBook Pro. This was similar to the “Jupiter” devices that were dubbed H/PC Pros (stupid name) when we released the software in 1998. Both Psion and Apple approached us about transitioning from their embedded OS’es to Windows CE at that time but Psion had to support the Symbian coalition and Jobs killed the Newton software. I think Psion had the last Jupiter-class device on the market or it might have been the Clio.

By: chaseadam

chaseadam — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 23:30:21 +0000

I have two of these. They were WAY ahead of their time and faced a tragic death. Everything Psion made was released 5-10 years before its time.

The OS is not that obscure, just ahead of its time. It is now the #1 operating system for mobile phones in the world (Symbian is based on EPOC).

By: Netbook Insider Forum

Netbook Insider Forum — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:47:48 +0000

While we have now heard of one C&D letter being sent to a website owner I wonder how many more have been sent out, and if any of those have gone to the industry giants like Intel. I am sure the big companies won’t be sharing the their current legal issues, but wouldn’t more smaller sites that have received letters be coming forward? Thinking in the mind of an internet marketer I would imagine that there would be many sites coming forward to share their letter, along with their site, just for simple site promotion.

I am not sure how far these legal threats will go but I find it disturbing that psion is now trying to reclaim a term that has now become generic in reference to mini notebooks. Perhaps they are planning on releasing a modernized version of their netbook and want to reclaim ownership of a name that has now been marketed well by the industry. It almost sounds like a “name squatting” issue to me. Why didn’t they take earlier action to protect their netbook name copyright?

I will wait and see if I also receive a C&D letter, but I would like to think that I if I received such a letter I would sit on the threat and see how it plays out with the larger industry players, namely, Intel’s use of the netbook term and its ownership of the netbook.com domain.

By: Jez

Jez — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 11:34:18 +0000

Bah, does this mean I have to rename http://www.sammynetbook.com

Sadly I can’t afford to argue anything like this and I’d just change it. Guess I have to watch closely. And I thought I was being cautious by not using “samsung” in the URL.

I guess I’ll be following this closely…

By: Kenneth Kwok

Kenneth Kwok — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 07:21:38 +0000

I have yet to get one as well and look at my URL… All I can say is they can do as they like, I’m certain if we get some public backing they will quickly drop this!

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 06:16:03 +0000

Maybe they are just testing the waters by sending C&D’s to bloggers and if that works out they can then go after Intel
Good luck, Psion