We appreciate the coverage in TechCrunch on the continuing saga over use of the word “smartbook,” and we stress to our readers that all remains the same for now. What is most worrisome in this update is not the fact that a company seeks to enforce trademark rights – as Robin Wauters mentions, that’s par for the course – but that large established sites and publications like EE Times would give in to demands so easily. While trademark naming deserves respect, no media source should rewrite existing articles in response to a complaint about a semi-generic term like “Kleenex,” to cite an example a friend just suggested.
Sometimes, personal blogs and sponsored blogs are seen as having less independence than online versions of existing media, but this global effort by Smartbook AG is targeting all media sources. The fact that many sites are giving up without a fight, indicates the degree to which media are much more beholden to advertisers and sponsors than they were in past decades.
The three of us who edit this blog are hesitant to pledge undying support for freedom of speech, as the legal ins and outs of naming rights could change overnight. But for now, our logo and URL are the same as always, and we join with TechCrunch in relishing saying a two-syllable word again and again. Smartbook. Smartbook smartbook.
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