Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site eosp1.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!princeton!eosp1!robison
From: robison@eosp1.UUCP (Tobias D. Robison)
Newsgroups: net.legal
Subject: Trademark protection for "UNIX"
Message-ID: <930@eosp1.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Jun-84 23:57:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: eosp1.930
Posted: Wed Jun 13 23:57:16 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 14-Jun-84 07:10:28 EDT
Organization: Exxon Office Systems, Princeton, NJ
Lines: 21

References:

I'm not a lawyer, but:

I think that the word "UNIX" will soon be in the public domain with
no special rights left for ATT.  They have not taken the vigorous
action necessary to protect it.  (That is, I can't believe they
have without my noticing.)

The problem is that only adjectives receive trademark protection,
as in "UNIX operating system", or "Aspirin compound".  Nouns are
not trademarks.  When the general public turns a brand name into a
noun, the courts stop protecting it.

I have never seen an advertisement or other memo from ATT warning
people to use the word UNIX only in phrases that treat it as an
adjective.
					- Toby Robison (not Robinson!)
					allegra!eosp1!robison
					decvax!ittvax!eosp1!robison
					princeton!eosp1!robison