It'll probably end up like the situation with Intel did when they renamed the 586 chip to "Pentium" after AMD tradmarked the name "586". I think they should have rights to the term but their term "VoIP" meant something totally different.
- Mark Marc wrote: > Awesome! You go, Panasonic!!! Although it is interesting that the date of > this press release is April 1st... ;-) > > Thanks, > Marc Halberg > The Phone Man > La Jolla, CA > 800-878-PHON > www.ephoneman.com > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Michael N. Marcus [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Sunday, April 01, 2007 11:06 AM > To: kxt@kxthelp.com > Subject: KX-T: Panasonic confirms plan to sue competitors for royalties on > use of “VoIP”® > > SECAUCUS, NJ, April 1, 2007 - Panasonic Communications Co., Ltd. has > confirmed published reports that it will be seeking royalty payments, or > injunctions to stop other companies from using the term "VoIP®," which has > been a registered trademark of the international electronics firm for over > 30 years. > > > > According to Kunio Watanabe, Panasonic Executive Vice President for Legal > Affairs, "in 1973, there were discussions about expanding Panasonic's US > headquarters, then in the PanAm Building in Manhattan, to become Panasonic's > world headquarters. We considered buying the building, and changing the sign > on the rooftop from PanAm to Panasonic." > > > > "Although the building was sold to MetLife instead of to us, and corporate > headquarters remained in Japan," Watanabe continued, "we did develop a > promotional plan to establish the New York City operation as the "Voice of > International Panasonic." The term "VoIP"® was registered with the United > States Patent and Trademark Office in 1974, and has been renewed and kept > current." > > > > "The VoIP® trademark," Watanabe emphasized, "is valuable Panasonic > intellectual property, and is becoming more valuable every day. We can prove > that Panasonic is the original VoIP® company. With the introduction of our > new Globarange VoIP® phones and service, and our previously introduced > VoIP®-enabled KX-TDA business phone systems, we won't stand idly by while > other companies compete with us, while using our registered trademark. We > are initially targeting 34 companies -- including AT&T, Microsoft, Cisco, > IBM, Avaya, Uniden, Skype, and Vonage -- who offer alleged VoIP® services > and products. We will offer them a choice of purchasing a license for the > use of our trademark, or to develop their own terminology.” > > > > “Over 60 years ago,” Watanabe concluded, “the Radio Corporation of America > developed an audio connector that became known as the RCA jack. Hundreds of > companies have been able to sell countless millions of items called RCA > jacks and plugs, with no financial benefit to RCA. Panasonic will not let > that happen with our VoIP®.” > > > > Later this month, Panasonic will launch a "First with VoIP®" multimedia > marketing campaign to promote its new Globarange phones and free worldwide > calling service, developed to use the “joip” service of New York-based VoIP® > service provider deltathree, Inc. Deltathree is the first company to be > licensed by Panasonic to use the VoIP® registered trademark. Globarange > phones are hybrid two-line 5.8GHz DECT cordless phones, supporting both > landline and joip-powered VoIP® services. > > _________________________________________________________________ KX-T Mailing list --- http://kxthelp.com/ Subscription changes: http://kxthelp.com/mailman/listinfo/kxt
