4 ms·

There are several applications with ".NET" in the name.. Many of them seem to use the this moniker because they are built using .NET.. (duh) http://www.microso

There are several applications with ".NET" in the name.. Many of them seem to use the this moniker because they are built using .NET.. (duh) http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/en/us/IntellectualProperty/Trademarks/Usage/Net.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/about/legal/en/us/IntellectualPrope... seems to give some advice on this topic for .NET framework related apps. But, as far as I can tell, "(.Net logo)" is their only registered trademark concerning .NET. you can see a list of their trademarks here: http://www.microsoft.com/About/Legal/EN/US/IntellectualProperty/Trademarks/EN-US.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/About/Legal/EN/US/IntellectualPrope... I'd consult with a lawyer first, but I think you're good to go. There are many apps and websites that have ".net" in their name, and the .net domain predates Microsoft's framework by quite a bit.

mojuba 17y ago
Thanks, that clears the question up a bit. It would be interesting to find out if those apps and services existed before MS came out with .NET. Obviously pre-existing ones are a lot safer in this regard. I just thought that Microsoft has essentially hijacked the dot-net syllable, even though it belongs to everyone in principle, and even if it's safe to use in trademarks. Their .NET products are now so ubiquitous and well promoted that a computer/network product with .net in the name would very likely be associated with Microsoft in users' minds when they first see or hear about it.
- harmonik 17y ago
  I agree with you somewhat. There seems to be a divide between the cases of the text. Since Microsoft's framework is named in all upper-case.. it seems to be the convention for .NET framework related apps/companies. If a company was named "Orange.net," I wouldn't think they were related to MS or .NET. There are a lot of companies and products that use this name... I'm sure you've researched it a bit, I can think of about 5 off the top of my head. My guess is as long as you aren't a threat to Microsoft's income.. you'll be just fine.

mojuba 17y ago

Thanks, that clears the question up a bit. It would be interesting to find out if those apps and services existed before MS came out with .NET. Obviously pre-existing ones are a lot safer in this regard. I just thought that Microsoft has essentially hijacked the dot-net syllable, even though it belongs to everyone in principle, and even if it's safe to use in trademarks. Their .NET products are now so ubiquitous and well promoted that a computer/network product with .net in the name would very likely be associated with Microsoft in users' minds when they first see or hear about it.

harmonik 17y ago
I agree with you somewhat. There seems to be a divide between the cases of the text. Since Microsoft's framework is named in all upper-case.. it seems to be the convention for .NET framework related apps/companies. If a company was named "Orange.net," I wouldn't think they were related to MS or .NET. There are a lot of companies and products that use this name... I'm sure you've researched it a bit, I can think of about 5 off the top of my head. My guess is as long as you aren't a threat to Microsoft's income.. you'll be just fine.