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From: darrelj@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Darrel VanBuer)
Newsgroups: net.unix-wizards
Subject: Re: UNIX trademark
Message-ID: <1529@sdcrdcf.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 4-Dec-84 12:27:12 EST
Article-I.D.: sdcrdcf.1529
Posted: Tue Dec  4 12:27:12 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 7-Dec-84 00:40:05 EST
References: <6012@brl-tgr.ARPA> <426@elecvax.OZ>
Reply-To: darrelj@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Darrel VanBuer)
Organization: System Development Corp. R+D, Santa Monica
Lines: 20
Summary: 

Trademarks have strong common law standing in addition to legislated status.
A registered trademark (which can be marked with R in a circle) is one which
has been "registered" with the US Patent and Trademark office.  It can be a
somewhat expensive process, but once approved you have a symbol verified
different from other trademarks, and with strong legal protection.
You can establish a common law trademark (marked with TM) by simply using a
distinctive mark on your product, and defend it by demonstrating your prior
use of the mark in a geographic and/or product area.  You generally are not
viewed as infringing a trademark in there is no possibility of confusion
with another use (e.g. you could likely market you own Unix brand ice cream
since it's so remote from phones and computers).
-- 
Darrel J. Van Buer, PhD
System Development Corp.
2500 Colorado Ave
Santa Monica, CA 90406
(213)820-4111 x5449
...{allegra,burdvax,cbosgd,hplabs,ihnp4,orstcs,sdcsvax,ucla-cs,akgua}
                                                            !sdcrdcf!darrelj
VANBUER@USC-ECL.ARPA