Another sign that trademark and copyright law is completely out of hand: Psion Teklogix, a company that once made a failed product called the netBook, is sending cease-and-desist orders to Web site owners who write about the modern-day crop of mini-notebook we all call netbooks.
Psion’s letter (viewable at JK on the Run) claims trademark of the name in the United States, the EU, Canada, Singapore, and Hong Kong. The company doesn’t make its netBook anymore–it hasn’t for years–but still makes accessories. The original netBook was actually a lot like a modern netbook (sorry, mini-notebook!) with a QWERTY keyboard and flip up screen, but wouldn’t have run Windows 98 let alone XP. They were based on either Windows CE or a version of the Symbian OS, which Psion created and later rolled out to phones.
Will a bunch of C&D letters stop use of the term? Maybe for a few innocent Web site owners who don’t have the money to defend against corporate lawyers. But the genericization of the term is too far along for this to get much headway. Psion can cry in their beer over it with Kleenex, Band-Aid, and Xerox.
Just in case, Technologizer is already looking for new terms just in case. My suggestions: negligi-books or pygmy-tops.
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