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Lindows Changes Name to 'Linspire'
Robert Nicholson writes "As previously covered, Lindows has decided to change its name thanks to Microsoft legal threats. Well it has just announced the new name - Linspire - clever, huh? There's a site at Linspire.com. The full story and the history behind it all are covered on Techworld."
That left the way open for Microsoft to chase the company all over the world's courts and effectively knock it out of business with huge legal costs.
This sheds some light on the real reason that they changed their name. I doubt there's a single company that could handle being dragged through the world's courts by Microsoft, let alone a small one like them.
This led to the daft situation where Lindows renamed itself Lin---s, complete with new website. Microsoft, unbowed, then incredibly claimed that Lin---s was its trademark as well.
This one just makes me say wow... Microsoft actually thingks they can claim the rights to "Lin---s"? Talk about power hungry.
Also, if they have changed their name and everything, then why does www.linspire.com have "LindowsOS" plastered all over the place? I guess it will take them a while to implement the actual name change.
Wireless News www.DailyWireless
In other news, the lawyers for Winspire Success Seminars get their pens ready...
The fine folks at Mozilla have decided to join forces with the Linspire team.
Please await *drumroll* LinFire 0.9 any day now..
"It came to me in a moment of Linspiration"
please change me. - sig
whowhwoh
What a Linsipid name. In my opnion it sounds like the name of a cheesy fly by night telemarketing company.. or a group that sell motivational self-help tapes to desperate and simple-minded middle management types.
Not that I could do any better, I'm sure... but Linspire really sounds boring.
I mean, do I install it on my computer, park it in my driveway, or drink it from a fancy bottle?
:rolleyes:
Linspire. Whoever thought that up needs to get more linspired. Jeeeebus O'Reilly McChrist in a dead DeLorean.
This post made with the Dvorak layout.
"Friends don't let friends use QWERTY"
It sounds like a Korean car. I'm going to spend the next hour cringing. Really surprised they didn't go with LinDOS (a previous candidate) or something with a modicum of coolness. I guess the company isn't shelling out big bucks for its marketing department.
I'm generally "Interesting," "Insightful," and even "Funny" here. What the hell happens to me at parties?
...eat a bag of shit you sack gobblers.
Maybe by drinking too much wine???
L'inspire? What is that, French? Aren't they the enemies or something now?
They might as well have saved us a step and just named it "Freedom Linux" before we do it for them.
I'm not normally an irrational zealous dickhead, but I figure "When in Rome..."
they'd call their software the Linspire Linsuit.
The logo and domain name seem to be the only changes at Linspire.com, everything else still says Lindows. Can you say plausible deniability?
L'inspire est le trademarke pour le Parlement du Francias! C'est et desitenement immedinantre! Alors!
Microsoft will go after his ass for having a name that looks like Lin---s!
"Lindows" was just a PR move and the trademark equivalent of cybersquatting. Let's not forget that the founder of the company got his start by registering mp3.com as well as slight variations of the URLs of other major sites and convincing a VC to fund him as a company. Yet again, though, his strategy worked pretty well.
ByteMyCode.com: A Web 2.0 code sharing community.
It's a bit weak.
Actually, it really sucks. Sorry, Michael Robertson, but you could have done better.
"LindOS" cuts it better.
Ceci n'est pas une signature
But Lindash was better. I think we need a Slashdot poll.
Shoddily made computers sold with a crippled version of an OS? Acer did it in the 90's they called it "Aspire". LAWSUIT AGAIN!
Linspire is non-consentual and "Microsoft-safe", and I can understand they want to avoid going through that again with the Redmond monster. But I'd have much preferred if they have renamed themselves "Lindoze" or "liNT" or "eXPect-more" or something like that, to piss them off...
Oh well, bland name but still a cool company. I'm just glad they escaped their (first) legal stint with Microsoft more or less unscathed..
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
a crap name, seriously. I think most people preferred "Lindos", its catchy, easy to say, and rememberable, but "Linspire" just sounds, well, pretty lame.
Here is the blurb on their own site:
g .h tml
http://info.lindows.com/linspire/Linspirelandin
clicky clicky
I want to drag this out as long as possible. Bring me my protractor.
Acer is going to be pissed!
S
What will Lindows change its name to next week?
It just came out: Lingerie
Thank you, I'm here all week. Don't forget to tip your waitresses!
But seriously how many average joe's just walk to best buy and buy a copy of windows OS and install it on their PC. Let's face it, most people just use the OS their PC came installed with.
Given this fact, I fail to see how the name Lindows, was any beneficial. I mean, most people don't even know what an OS stands for, so what are the chances they go to buy Windows OS and install it on their own, and Now take a percentage of those extremely small nos. who will be fooled by the Lindows boxes sitting next to Windows boxes.
And the ones who are comfortable installing their own OS, any ways are not likely to be misled. So the name choice was unfortunate to begin with. All it did was gave them a lot of publicity (which is not a bad thing) but I really wonder how many customers really bought it think it to be windows.
for the last time people, I am "frodo from middle eaRTH", not "middle eaST".
Only 45 hits on Google if you search for "linspire" at the time of writing. I wonder how many hits there will be tomorrow at the same time.
Anyway, they seemed to have known this for quite some time. From a whois on linspire.com and linspire.org:
Record created on 15-Jan-2004.
Lineffective. Linept. Linferior. And my all-time favorite, Linane.
<silly amount=overly>But... there's no "L" in "spire"! Thele is if you'le speaking Engrish.</silly>
This signature is not in the public domain.
Problem with lindows.. or linspire, or whatever That click and install thing was a great idea, but why the monthly fee? seems to me, that if you're going to have a linux based os, that the free utils should remain free! geeze.. Now if they have their own version of something that they want to sell, fine, but when you go to click and install a simple thing and it wants money.. that is a bit off...
At least they get some publicity out of it.
I hope that Bill G gets sued by http://www.gates.com/ The World's Most Trusted Name in Belts, Hose and Hydraulics.
After all it is a trade mark and his "Gates" foundation is clearly in breach.
Oh yeah, and X Windows is a graphical user interface.
M$'s "Windows" is a bogus trademark. Period.
... to try the new LDE with Lmail, Lword, Lonqueror and Lxmms. Not to forget Lozilla-Lirelox.
Lat least lhey lon't lave lo lange lilo's lame!
Solly, lounge got louse.
If you mod this up, your slashdot background will turn into a beautiful sunset!
Formidable, I need help to remove te snow from the drive way.
Ninnle Linux is untouchable!
Earlier today, I was looking into buying a Ford Aspire, and I thought I got a great deal on one, as I wired the money into the dealer's account.
When I came to pick it up, the dealer handed me a CD with some "Aspire" operating system?
WTF? Where's my Aspire?
If you don't know what AltaVista is (was), get off my lawn.
They'd have renamed themselves "Butthole Monopolistic IT Company" and gotten themselves sued (again) for slander. But the IT industry really doesn't have a lot of soul left in it, so no one would actually do that these days.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
ok, i'll stop.
I bootleg Fizzy Lifting Drinks.
So, as expected, Microsoft played its part in this little Kabuki drama, and Lindows aka Linspire got its free publicity. And bully for them, I guess. But to suggest that they picked the name for any other reason is sheer folly.
sulli
RTFJ.
but personally i think LinOS not LinDOS or lindash would work good...think about it lin=linux OS ...simple as that.
The word "gates" is generic and cannot be copyrighted. Sorry.
This post made with the Dvorak layout.
"Friends don't let friends use QWERTY"
They could have shown a somewhat ironic way of accepting the demand of evil Microsoft lawyers: Linbows.
---- MISSING MISCELLANEOUS DATA SEGMENT --- [sigdash] trolololol
Da da da da dum linspector gadget, da da da da dum datdum...
"Windows" is not a common noun in countries that do not have English as an official language. Among European countries, only the UK and Ireland seem to speak English in the trademark office.
He left out two important words at the end of this sentence.
"I have now used LindowsOS for a little over one week and found it to be the best Linux Distro so far for me"
It took tremendous Linsight to come up with the name "Linspire". I find the whole story quite Linteresting. Thanks for the Linformative links.
---------------------------------------------
SERENITY NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Let MS chew on this it's a linspiracy.
My keyboads not woking popely.
Hopefully they'll release a renaming tool like firefox/bird/toad.
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
Well, I messed up my Karma, but I was second. Anyway, guess I shoud say something on-topic to see if i can get modded up: Does AT&T have a trademark on the name 'phone book'? does Ford have a trademark on the name 'automobile'? Windows is a generic name for the area of a computer screen where we see a file or program. It just goes to show you that money talks. Just a matter of time before they outlaw Linux in the U.S. We will have to download it from China or Korea.
I found it easy to rephrase that sentence so as not to dilute Dell's "Inspiron" trademark, as you're supposed to put a common noun after a trademark anyway: "Now you too can get Linspire OS on laptops for the ultimate in portable computing."
Let me get this straight...the change was linspired by the Microsoft lawsuit?
Obviously it's a subliminal message... they believe our right brain will subconscously recognize LINSPIRE as an anagram of IN PERILS.
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
They ought to have tried calling it Linnovation so that no one could possibly confuse it with a Microsoft product.
LinD'oh
but then you might get sued by Mr. Groening and gang
That's Lintastic!
I think a good name change would have been Winux...
...of their name, it's still one of the most pathetic distributions I've ever laid eyes on. Barely any apps on install, or available, fucking 'rebranding' everywhere, and a community that seems to have just picked up a computer yesterday, and are now 'experts'.
Fuck Lindows. Fuck Lindash. Fuck Linspire.
Just wait until Linspire countersues you. You'll surrender immediately. :)
I'd have suggested "Lindoors"
G
Lintel.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
yeah
I am SO not looking at your gay porno.
I think "Licrosoft" would have been a better choice.
windows has obviously been associated with microsoft for over a decade. When you ask anyone what comes to mind when you think of computers and windows, and they say anything to do with microsoft, then its not a generic term
I wonder if they entertained "Line" as a name?
They'd have to be snorting a Line of coke to think of that one.
Say no to coke. Drink Pepsi instead.
How about Lyrebird? No, wait, there's that database...
What are these see-through things in most of the outside walls of my house called?
There's an outside now?
The lin part doesn't work too well. What is "lin" anyways? They should change the beginning to Per, which starts Perfection, Personal, and a bunch of other good names. So use Perfect Inspiration, or Perspire for short.
check out all the $Lin_OS and $lin_com vars in the faq...
e nduser/std_alp.php
http://help.linspire.com/cgi-bin/lindows.cfg/php/
Lat least lhey lon't lave lo lange lilo's lame!
You sound like the Chinese version of Scooby-Doo.
[]at least [t]hey [d]on't [h]ave [t]o [ch]ange lilo's [n]ame!
Yes they do; otherwise, they become vulnerable to lawsuits from The Walt Disney Company alleging infringement of the Lilo & Stitch mark, no?
If I could I'd mod you up +1 Linsightful
With the originality of the name Lindows it is not surprising they came up with a shitty name like Linspire.
With all the controversy over changing the name to Lin---s or some such, why didn't they look at following their own comment about the "W" being all the problem and change it to something like LindOS and say that now it was a completely different name and wouldn't impinge on Microsoft's trademark?
... well... I guess there might not be any avoiding a lawsuit from a company wanting to take out the competition.
Wouldn't that have given them a name that was remarkably similar to their previous name to have recognition yet distinct enough to avoid
I'm not a nerd. I'm a geek. Nerds make more money.
OS formerly known as Lindows.
Since only a few years ago. They were using Windows for about 10+ years before they trademarked it. Before then it was clear that the word wasn't trademarkable -- this in itself is a huge sea change, along time ago names could go from trademarked to public domain (Kleenix), but now, the opposite is true. Just shows you how much the law has swung in favor of corporations.
general computer users do not remember DOS favorably. Associating you're product with it is a baaaad idea. But yeah, Linspire sucks, a lot. I thought LinDash, although kinda dumb, was fine. Spell it Lin\- maybe (you don't just want the '-' sign on the end, it looks bad too). But then you're customers have to find the '\' key on thier keyboard...
Hi! I make Firefox Plug-ins. Check 'em out @ https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/youtube-mp3-podcaster/
The script has nothing to do with the trademark.
Oh really? There are word marks and there are drawings. "Coca-Cola" is a word mark. "Coca-Cola" written in a distinctive script is a drawing, and the distinctive script is part of the mark. "Crack-a-Cola" not written in the script would possibly infringe Coke's rights in the word mark but not at all on the drawing. And given that "cola" has become generic (I see it on Pepsi, RC, and store-bought soft drinks with similar flavors), are you so sure that Coke would have a case on the "Crack-a" part?
..at the bottom of this page:
Copyright © 2004 Lindows.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Lindows.com is not endorsed by or affiliated with Microsoft Corporation in any way - in fact, we don't even really like them because they are suing us.
Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy
If my answers frighten you, stop asking scary questions.
I vote for calling it "All Your Windows Are Belong to Us"
Just a matter of time before they outlaw Linux in the U.S.
Sheesh, some of you people just don't live in the same universe as everyone else.
Don't blame me, I didn't vote for either of them!
LinHorn.
Linspire? I think I'm going to Linpuke. Could they have come up with a less Linspired name?
Does AT&T have a trademark on the name 'phone book'?
I don't know. AT&T could conceivably get a trademark on "phone book" in countries whose trademark offices officially don't speak English.
I hope they're going to continue the fight in the courts over Microsoft's usage of a comon word as a trademark... I'd hate to see them drop it just when they've got Microsoft on the ropes in the US courts.
Donald 'Duck' Dunn: We had a band powerful enough to turn goat piss into gasoline.
I think they should have chose the name "Lin" (dropping the '---s'). That would have added Lin ("lynn") to the phonetic pantheon of linux distro patron Goddesses -- SuSE (suzy), and Debian (debbie). Wait, isn't Lynn a boyz name? Perhaps they were gender-uncertain...
"The Internet is made of cats."
Help cure AIDS, cancer, and more. Donate your unused computer time to worldcommunitygrid.org. Join Team Slashdot!
I was *so* hoping for LinDoors, LinHouse LinLookingGlass, or something. These guys shoulda called me. : )
The name isn't so much clever as... let me think... feeble? Maybe insipid? Fatuous? How about nebbish?
It's too much like all the inane corporate "invent-a-word" names, like Verizon, Accenture, Cingular, Enovation, Qwest, ExpedX...
I miss the simple, descriptive (although a bit bland, I grant) names like International Business Machines, or Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing (3M, if you didn't know). Marketing goo makes my skin crawl. If Linwhatever starts talking about leveraging the untapped potential of Linux to empower the user to unleash his blah blah blah, I will vomit. And that is a promise.
Why yes, I do use the OS formerly known as @
L'Inspire
and corner that lucrative Yuppie snob OS market not already covered by Macs.
* - Hah! I invented a word!
Cheers,
Ethelred
Everyone wants to be Ethelred. Even I want to be Ethelred.
Remember the Saturday Night Live Skit?
This Linspire.com isn't very inspiring, but, it is better than www.clownpenis.fart
Surely this could not have taken more than one monkey working 1/2 hour on a typewriter.
And those holes usually have pretty weak security by default, so they would be called "Security Holes".
Hmm, what a coincidence...
My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.
to also change their name to Whispering-Window because Redmond told them to. Whispering-Windows is not even a computer product, it's a speaker system for retail store windows.
Next thing you know, when you build a house your going to have to purchase large panes of glass to be mounted in the side of a wall. When will this insane madness stop and common sense start to prevail? but then again I guess, common sense is not all that common.
If firefighters fight fire and crime fighters fight crime, what do Freedom fighters fight?
Li Leem Lo Lave a Lisp. LOL
Is there something in the water that prevents any OSS or Linux-related project from having a good name?
Lindows was horrible; Linspire is worse.
wINdowS
lINSpIre
Perhaps the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service will be next in line to sue for name infringement...
YOU MAIL IT
It's not just Windows--it's "Microsoft Windows." Just like "Microsoft Word," "Microsoft SQL Server," "Microsoft Bob." They prefix with their company name.
We can bitch about how they use the generic word Windows, but they don't just use Windows, they call it, say, "Microsoft Windows NT Workstation(tm) SP4."
Winux better.
:)?
Heh, would have cheesed off M$ wouldn't it
The X Window System may not have been in common use yet, but the term "window" was already in very common use for creating UIs. You can find code all over that shows this. Even Emacs called the concept a "Window" long before that time.
Microsoft has no right to claim "Windows" (or Office, which was in common use for Office Automation, etc.) and even less right to complain about Lindows or the X Window System. It should be "Microsoft Windows", and nothing shorter should be protectable, just like "X Window System" is protectable, but "Window System" should not be.
... "The OS Formerly Known As Lindows".
Then people would inevitably start calling it "The OS". You can't tell me that doesn't sound cool.
Don't call me a cowboy, and don't tell me to slow down!
I doubt there's a single company that could handle being dragged through the world's courts by Microsoft, let alone a small one like them.
Caldera International purchased the rights to DR-DOS, then sued Microsoft for the damage that Microsoft had done to DR-DOS.
Caldera settled for an estimated $150 million from Microsoft.
Microsoft settles Caldera Antitrust Case
To be sure, Caldera later turned to the dark side in a big way. They are now suing another software giant.
It's a good thing they didn't choose "Linnovate," or they'd still be in trouble.
---
All your old jokes are belong to sigs.
Hint: after 20 years of usage, it's very unlikely that the trademark will be invalidated. But if you want to, go to town!
Lintimidated
Lipshits.
"Sometimes a woman is a kind of religion, she can save your soul & set you free from all your sins" - Bad Examples
Lindows/spire should publically ask Microsoft's permission if their name change is acceptible. It should be in the form of a public ad taken out in the Times and go something like this:
"Dear Mr. Gates,
We admit it, you've won. While we were perfectly willing to follow through the legality of our name in the U.S. court system, we simply cannot financially keep up with your legal punishment in 7 different courts all over the world.
Therefore, we would humbly ask your permission to change our name from the disputed 'Lindows' to 'Linspire'. We hope that this will stop your litigation and allow for competition in the PC/operating system market.
P.S. Good luck on your E.U. investigation. We know the pain of trying to keep up with litigation overseas."
I do hope that MS gets whatever they deserve in the E.U.
"...Well, there's egg and bacon; egg sausage and bacon; egg and spam; egg bacon and spam; egg bacon sausage and spam..."
Isn't this going to bring any HP lawsuits?
wow... im so unlinspired right now...
Woah, reminds me of Borland's brief (and ignored) fling with Inprise. ("Linprise", hmmm.)
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
I agree that MS has no rights to Windows, but that doesn't mean that MIT wanted a lawsuit with them, which is why they put a disclaimer in their docs.
Microsoft used to be a big X11 contributor, BTW.(They wrote the interface specs for Motif).
I think the new name is linteresting. It's linfective and very lintelligent. This little lincident with the itigation shows that great minds are not lidle for ong. With Microsoft linsisting they have lintellectual property rights on '---' any other countermeasure will ikely prove to be lineffective.
Just as long as Linus doesn't come along and claim he owns the letter 'L' - which is hardly going to happen. He and Bill Gates weren't born on the same day, or come from the same mold.
But let's not have any lillusions: Microsoft are a lillegal monopoly. They bode lill for the rest of the Linternet.
Suddenly the name change of firebird to firefox just doesn't seem stupid anymore.
I was hoping for Linonghorn
Powered by Web3.5 RC 2
New "Lintos" -- the distro that's fresh and full of life!
(Of course, they'll have to license the trademark rights from the candy company,
and track down the European-sweater guy to put in the commercial...)
>;k
Uh, unchecked capitalism? A naturally occuring free market doesn't exist.
Neither do live saving medical devices like pacemakers. But that doesn't mean they should not exist.
I am sure there are many others out there who don't feel like running something called `-indows'. ;-)
I don't think M--ro-o-t can convince they have rights to the doors also...
No more rhymes now. Retire! Anybody install Linspire? Doh!
If you're telekinetic raise my hand.
Blindows: http://www.audiodata.de/e/products/blindows.php Why didn't they ever get sued?
So they didn't have the balls to change to 'Linosoft', eh?
http://www.aaplblog.com/ - News about Apple Inc.
Now that Lindows changed its name, does that mean that the ruling forbidding them to sell their product to Benelux or Sweden still applies?
Furthermore, could the agreement french company Hermitage had with Microsoft possibly allows them reselling Linspire again now they renamed their flagship product? (Not that they would be especially be inclined to do so, given that they gave up when Microsoft was starting to threaten them.)
They didnt go the punctuation as part of the company name route.
-------- This space intentionally left blank --------
Personally, I would have called it Linnovate, since MS loves the word innovate.
Personally, I do not care about the name. If it works, I will try to remember it. If it does not even work, I forget about it in the next few seconds.
By the way, I have been thinking that I may need to buy windows compatible computers only for emulators/simulators such as pinmame. Is there any one trying to port the simulator to unix and other platforms?
#I'd rather use unix for daily works and chores.
...shouldn't that be "Lindash (Lin---s) changes name to Linspire"?
The apostrophe is important.
I guess this means my ChoicePC t-shirt is now a collectible because it has the old name on it. Good for me....
Publicity. That's really all there is to it. Gets the company seen.
Ph-nglui mglw'nafh Gates M'dna wgah'nagl fhtagn.
I thought "hot babe" would be a winner. Much better than "Windows", "Doors", "Cupboard"... it even beats "Beer", in my humble opinion.
Imagine the headlines: "lindows changes it's name to "Hot babe" - Linux community in turmoil".
Sigged!
How about Linnovation? It sounds great, and besides, it's based on what every computer company claims to have.
P
Have some balls Michael ! Call it Longhorn.
Windows + Linux = Windex! Absolutely no lawsuit worries there!
*nudge nudge wink wink*
they missed their chance to call it "Linfaq" say "Lin ... fa .. cue"
The should have fought the good fight. They had a very winnable case. At least this name was better than there first choice, Lindos. Hell, I would have changed it to LindowsXP, with the ad slogan, "Like Windows, but with security"
The problem Lindows ran into was in Europe. In the United States, courts rejected the claim that Windows could be trademarked on the grounds that it is a common word for an interface. However, that argument did not work in Europe.
I'm still not Linspired to go out and buy their product. I've seen it, it doesn't work. Changing the name isn't going to help.
was Lindux already taken?
Luvelyyyy
the director of lindows (forgot this name)
clearly provoked Microsoft non-stop
with give us ur "Windows copy and we give you a lindows OS for free" - and many press articles covering this and more(?).
Now i dunno MS is a big big nasty bully. Even though I appreciate the brave attitude of LINDOWS and all - its not wise fighting when you are going to lose so soon.
I honestly dont think (or believe) Lindows would be forced to surrender its name hadn't it been for them firing the shots first. And having to change ones name to an air refreshner - Man that is utter humiliation.
For those who don't subscibe to Michael Robertson's newsletter, he is offering Linspire free, via Bittorrent download.
Head on to http://www.linspire.com/btorder and put in "lindows" in the coupon code and register an account on Linspire to access the BT downloads.
Ed
E.W. (as opposed to eeeeeww)
I know he loves writing to message boards :)
Check this out:
Eh? Logos aside, why would the 'thousands of web pages' need any change at all (beyond a couple of simple DNS changes) unless their web designers were so utterly dumb as to hardcore references to the domain name throughout their website?
It's either purely disingenous (and therefore an insult to the reader's intelligence) or they don't know it's an admission of incompetence (and therefore testament to their own stupidity).
[ UNSIGNED NOT NULL ]
Had a look at their website and clicked on "SCO information" to see what their position on the whole SCO thing was. Suprisingly it looks like they've been "in talks" with SCO and even drawn up a contract. Are they paying SCO licenses? Come on Robertson, I know you're trying to do what's best for your business and all that, but SCO? Not cool.
LINSUED!
It seems to me that the Lindows name was a very clever (and maybe rash) way to sound familiar to the non-power users of MS Windows. And in the heads of their legal dept. (and many judges), using the notoriety of Windows was OK because you can't trademark a generic word and call it your own, therefore making the case of trademark infringement moot.
Now, taking a step back, and looking at your statement, you're saying that Lindows did it purely to get the free PR of so many MS victims. This argument lacks any sort of real evidence.
On the contrary, Lindows likely spent thousands upon thousands of dollars in legal fees, over a period of years in order to keep the name. If as you suggest, they were doing it for free PR, doesn't it make more sense to fold under the pressure earlier, before you bankrupt yourself?
Secondly, even though Lindows had a comparatively small brand, any name recognition it did have is now erased, but for a small population. (Like maybe a bunch of Linux nerds.) Beyond that, they no longer have the advantage of using the famiiarity of the Windows name to bring more customers.
In the end, however, I believe this legal battle will have little residual impact on the company. For one, they have a pretty intelligent CEO, and a very nice value offering. For another, they are clearly competing on price first, and everything else second. The way they will develop a brand is by creeping into homes through dirt-cheap PCs from Wal-Mart. Kudos to Linspire!
then BiGatus will be suing Anderson
and Pella next? (How dare they!)
How about calling it "Loquacious"? Or maybe even "Locutus?"
Linspire?
Morons.
Dumbest product name I've heard in years.
Although I thought Lycoris was not too bright either.
Get off the "L" monkey, guys. Linus thought of it first.
Richard Steven Hack - This sig is TOO GODDAMN SHORT TO DO ANYTHING USEFUL WITH! MORONS!
I'm still not inspired to use it.
This user account is inactive account replaced by the PDA
It would annoy Intel too, therby increasing publicity.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
Trademark law specifically forbids using modified names that sound similar to a product. I can't make a copier and call it Terox because that sounds too much like Xerox. I can't create a detergent and call it OceanTide because of the trademark on Tide.
You are under the common misconception that "confusion" is the only thing forbidden in trademark law. You can't invoke, even indirectly, a trademark simply to promote your product. That is what a trademark IS. A unique symbol, image, or word(s) that reminds the customer of your product or service. And you get FULL control over how it is used. Someone playing word games is invoking indirectly the image of your product to promote there own and that is a blatant and clear violation of the purpose of a trademark.
Indeed Lindows doesn't deny that they are playing on the name. Their claim, one which I disagree with, is that Windows is a generic term and thus is untrademarkable. If Windows isn't a valid mark then Robertson can play all the word games he wants. That is what he won the right to do in the US. He didn't destroy the link to the Windows trademark. He invalidated the Windows trademark. For Robertson that had the same effect. For Microsoft it put it's entire Windows trademark in jeopardy.
I don't agree with the courts ruling that Windows is a generic term. A trademark must be famous and distinctive in order to be a valid mark. Windows qualifies as both. If I say "I'm running Windows" we all know that I'm refereeing to the product from the company Microsoft. There is no confusion with panes of glass in buildings, nor is their confusion with the GUI element of a window either. Windows is as distinctive to computers as Apple, also a generic term, is to computers. Both are valid marks and I expect that the ruling will be overturned back into Microsoft's favor.
I'm not found of Microsoft but Robertson is a troll using trickery and cheap PR moves to promote his product. He always has done that. He is a cheap thug with all the morals of a used car sales man. He does the Linux world a disservice. I usually root against Microsoft but this time I hope they squash this guy like the little bug he is.
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....Licrosoft Loffice PX
Which came first? Surely .NET right? haha
Lindows and Borland have joined forces. The new name?
Linprise.
Yeah, it's a dumb name, but so is Linspire. Sounds like an online motivational sound bites page.
*** *** You're just jealous 'cause the voices talk to me... ***