It seems that Dell isn’t the only one looking to strip Psion of its “netbook” trademark. Now Intel’s part of the liberation party.
The Courthouse News hosts a copy of the legal filing from Intel (PDF) with a complaint against Psion for its apparent trademarked term of “netbook.” Intel states that the term “netbook” is now adopted by consumers to refer to notebook computers that are “small, inexpensive, and contain less processing power, making them optimal for connecting to the internet (or ‘net’).”
Intel believes that the term “netbook” is now generic and that the court should cancel Psion’s trademark.
With the likes of computer giants Intel and Dell so motivated free the term “netbook” from the grips of Psion, one has to figure that it’s only a matter of time.
The question is whether the term "netbook" becomes a legally descriptive word, making is no longer the property of the creator. Examples of this are aspirin, brassiere, cola, corn flakes, granola, kerosene, tabloid, thermos, trampoline, yo-yo and zipper.
There are companies which still hold their registered trademark, despite being commonly used to describe the product in general, such as Band-Aid, Breathalyzer, Coke, Dumpster, Frisbee, Hi-Liter, Kitty Litter, Laundromat, Ping-Pong, Popsicle, Post-it, Q-tip, Scotch Tape, Sheetrock, Styrofoam, Super glue, and Velcro.
The problem is that the legal trademark holder, Psion, currently has no intentions of marketing or manufacturing a product with the name "netbook."
Intel and Dell need to come up with some new term and whine elsewhere...