Netbook Patent Holder PSION Clarifies Issue on Trademark Issue
Posted in: Netbook, tags: NetbookA couple of days ago, jkOnTheRun broke the news that PSION, the company that holds the patent rights for the term “netbook” has been cracking down on sites which openly used the term and even went to the extent of sending cease and desist letter to them, including bloggers and journalists.
Well, PSION’s legal representatives sent a letter to jkOnTheRun explaining their actions. According to the company, they have not sent any C&D letter to any blogger or journalist using the term “netbook”. They did however sent out those letters to
those making a direct, financial profit from use of the ‘Netbook’ trademark
And by those, Psion is referring retailers and manufacturers who are using the term netbook. Around 95% of they letters were sent to these companies. While another 5% were sent to sites who displays advertisement using the term netbook.
In short, what Psion is trying to prevent is for companies to generate profit or income from using their patented term.
And that they have not sent out a letter to any blogger or journalist in particular. However, they may do so if in case you’re running an affiliate ads with the term netbook.
While Psion may have all the right to hold off further use of their “netbook” term, they should however put an exception to blogs and other sites which displays affiliate ads for the simple reason that these blog owners have no control of the ads that will be displayed on their sites/blogs.
And Psion should also make an inventory of online ads companies running those ads with “netbook” and inform them to stop using their term in their ads. It would be unfair for blogs/sites with those ads to receive a C&D letter.
Psion also said that WE should start using other terms to refer to computers that we love to call and have grown to call “netbook”. I guess we should start calling them Net-Books instead?
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As a Netbook owner myself (the original Psion Netbook that is), I can sympathise with Psion wanting to get credit for havng originted the term “Netbook”- But I cannot agree to their moral right to a monoply in its use.
They dumped production and support for the Netbook and lacked the forsight to carry on and devlop the product. In that sense, as a customer, I feel abandoned by the company.
They have a right to a warm and cosy feeling if Netbook is used in the same sense as biro is used generically for ball-point pens etc, .
The sitution is amusing, but has little moral justification.
[...] With Nokia, a major mobile phone company getting into the netbook market, and Google Android rumored to be released for netbooks, one thing looks certainly clear – netbooks are here to stay, whether Psion likes it or not. [...]