3 ms·
You've picked a bad article to make this point - if someone tried to re-brand OpenOffice as "MS Office" you can be sure that Microsoft would defend its trademar
by DougBTX 16y ago
You've picked a bad article to make this point - if someone tried to re-brand OpenOffice as "MS Office" you can be sure that Microsoft would defend its trademarks, and you'd never see it on HN. But when Apple does the same, it is front page "news". Hardly a free pass.
- megaman821 16y agoNo it would be more like MS sues every software product with the word Office or Windows in it. Which they don't as evidenced by the existence of OpenOffice. I am not trying to argue Microsoft is some white knight or anything else noble, just that Apple policies are worse but with better marketing.
- wisty 16y agoI'm guessing that "Office" was already in use. "Word" certainly was (i.e. Word Perfect). So "OpenWord" would be probably be fine. On the other hand, don't try making an "OpenExcel" or an "OpenPowerpoint".
- pitdesi 16y agoThat's a great example actually... it's Open OFFICE, competing with Microsoft OFFICE, and surprisingly AFAIK Microsoft did nothing to defend that. That being said, Apple isn't the only company going a bit overboard, as Facebook is making legal threats to LameBook, TeachBook, and PlaceBook
- megaman821 16y agoThat is partly my point, it is ridiculous no matter who is making the legal threats. The company making the threats should have no bearing on anything.