Linked by Eugenia Loli-Queru on Wed 11th Jun 2003 21:39 UTC
Apple Computer is being sued by The Open Group, the San Francisco company that claims ownership of the Unix trademark, for using the term Unix in conjunction with its Mac OS X operating system without a license. Apple has countersued, asking a judge to declare that the trademark is invalid, because the term Unix has become generic. This legal battle, though separate from SCO's recent claim that Linux uses copyrighted Unix source code, adds further fire to the debate over the custody of Unix--the 30 plus-year old OS originally developed by AT&T.
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In Europe (especially in Greece, and even in UK), we refer to any kind of Coke (including Pepsi or other cheaper brands) as "coca-cola", even if they might not be from Coca-cola. Most people don't care to make the distinction. In this sense, for many people, "Coca-Cola" is a generic name for this kind of drink.
But for a court room, Coca-Cola Inc. owns the trademark/copyright. If let's say, Pepsi market their own products as "Coke-based" or "coca-cola-based", they will get their a$$ sued, and no one will have any trouble understanding that Pepsi did something wrong.
This is similar to the "Unix" trademark IMHO. As long it is still trademarked, Apple had no busines to market their own product as "Unix" and "Unix-based". They should have purchased a license for this right.