I recently joked that we might want to rename OSNews to CourtNews, and with each passing day that silly joke seems to become less silly. This week, it became clear that Psion Teklogix, the company behind various small computing devices back in the '90s, has started an all-out legal offensive to prohibit other companies from using the term "netbook".
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Member since:2006-01-01
And what exactly do you call bullshit on anyway?
StN
What do you call bullying anyone who attempts to mention Psion on the Wikipedia article Sam?
Yeah, I like Psion... originally good British company. I have known of Netbook as a specific Psion product since around when it was launched and I think they have a good case.
I could go and change the Wikipedia article, but I'd rather someone with no attachment to the other camp has a hand in it. I call bullshit on you, because you are perverting the Wikipedia article and making a mockery of the Wikipedia neutral stance.
You should get over YOURself because, no matter what happens in the US courts, Psion still deserves to get a mention at the top of that article, not just a vague link to another article worded in such a way as to imply Psion have no real relevance.
Remember, other manufacturers have lost the trademark battle already - MSI is no longer allowed to call their products "netbook".. My Wind has no mention of the word Netbook on it nor on the documentation.
Edited 2009-02-21 02:19 UTC
Member since:2005-11-11
haha there is a wikipedia article for savethenetbooks now, written by none other than Sam.
The discussion page has this gem: "Created. A quick comment about WP:COI, the article was created by the author of the site but is believed to be balanced nonetheless and does not reference them." -also by Sam
D:
Member since:2005-06-29
Member since:2005-07-17
Very few of the manufactures NAMED their product "netbooks" because it hadn't really dawned on them. Most of the use is on websites or catalog pages looking for something to summarize the category of devices. Psion's product was forgotten long ago. Sure, it might be sold in one part of Southeast Asia, but that's not the American market, or the market that includes people starting websites about the devices. As soon as the devices started appearing they should have been advertising their product too... but they don't have one. It's the consensus of media that choose to refer to devices as "netbooks" not any one manufacture trying to hijack the term. The term was "rediscovered" as an "interNET noteBOOK" and bounced around until the shadow people pushed the words across the screen Net... Book... netbook!
This is just like when we when through the "Podcasting" debacle.. only with less teeth. In the case of Podcasts Apple had a good leg to stand on, but let it go for 2-3 years online. They only started sending legal out when too many companies use "podcasting" on their gear and they wanted to have iTunes be the only place for "podcasts". (remember, Apple didn't invent the term and didn't sue anybody until they wanted the name to only by on their iTunes store.) Now they're named "netcasts" (but you have to pay Leo Laporte and John C. Dvorak/blog for that one, ha, ha) Legally Apple had to call the dogs off because they came close to losing the cases, but scared enough people into settling, now people don't use it too widely because Apple's lawyers growl at them, but casual use is basically out-of-the-bag.
Member since:
2009-02-20
Oh FFS Matt get over it/yourself. Cyber bullying? Seriously. You've already made your affection for Psion abundantly clear.
And what exactly do you call bullshit on anyway?
StN