Hi,

At April 18, 2003, 10:24, Nando Dessena wrote:

> Lester,

>>> using codenames in forum names is common practice, and does not
>>> suggest that the codename is going to be used as a brand name.
>>> Actually, there have been signs of the contrary (ie the Firebird name
>>> will disappear from the final product brand name).

L>> Then why does Firebird[TM] get used rather than just Firebird?

> my understanding is that they got their fingers burned once with
> Phoenix, and have thus become sensitive to legal issues, so first off
> they registered the name (the actual right they had in doing so is
> questionable, but I prefer to see the question from a more ethical and
> less legal POV).

Actually [TM] does not indicate a registered trademark, the encircled
R indicates that it is a registered trademark.

For legal issues, I posted a message with a link to the International
Trademark Association's FAQ for US Trademarks. And, in the US an
unregistered trademark is as valid as a registered trademark. Even
the US Trademark Office doesn't do a thorough search before accepting
the application for the registration.

--
Best regards,
Daniel Rail
Senior System Engineer
ACCRA Group Inc. (www.accra.ca)
ACCRA Med Software Inc. (www.filopto.com)