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Will Toshiba's next tablet be named the Excite? Trademark filings suggest so
Yesterday, we caught wind of a rumor that Toshiba would be unveiling a new, ultra-thin tablet at this year's IFA. Today, word on the street is that the company's forthcoming slate may be called the "Excite." According to US Trademark filings obtained by Android Police, Toshiba has apparently registered the purported product name under the category "Tablet Computers." The manufacturer has also snatched up a whole host of domain names, including "excitetablet.com," "toshibaexcite.com," and "thetoshibaexcite.com" -- all of which currently redirect to a Toshiba site. As you may recall, remarkably similar evidence surfaced right before the Thrive launched, so recent history certainly lends a bit of credence to today's report. As always, we'll be sure to keep you abreast of the latest developments.
Google files trademark for 'Spot,' programming language to follow?
It looks as though our old pal in Mountain View might have its sights set on developing another programming language. Avid coders probably recall the company's Go offering that was announced last year. Now, Google is looking to stake its claim on the trademark for "Spot." Sorting through the USPTO mumbo jumbo, it's clear that the project centers on a coding language and its related computer programs. Also of note: the internet powerhouse gobbled up four case-related domains including spotlang.com, spotlanguage.net, spot-lang.com and spot-lang.net. For those looking to See Spot Run, perhaps you'll be able to sprint over to the aforementioned URLs in due time. [Photo credit: brionv]
HP files for 'Zeen' and 'Airlife' trademarks for handheld devices
Having only recently marked its return to the handheld computing space with the iPAQ Glisten, HP seems intent on forging ahead with more hardware in the coming year. The above trademark applications -- filed in September and October 2009 -- mark out some very broad categories, but we can narrow them down a little with the help of some context. Given all the industry excitement over tablet devices, the Zeen could well be the name of a forthcoming slate-shaped machine and accompanying software, while Airlife seems to be planted firmly in the smartphone arena. The moniker suggests a software ecosystem rather than actual hardware, but that would make little sense with just one handset out there; if we were the betting type (and believe us, we aren't), we'd probably expect to see more mobiles coming from the computing giant in order to take advantage. Of course, companies don't always follow through on trademark applications, but it sure seems as if HP is casting a wary eye over the burgeoning handheld market (and / or planning to not get left behind in the months ahead).
Apple, Woolworths in Australian trademark dispute, media in hysterically confused panic
Oh boy. So if you haven't already seen some news on this, Apple's opposing the formal registration of the Australian grocery store Woolworths' logo, pictured above. We'll be honest: we saw this story when it was first reported last night by The Age, and we passed on it. Why? Because while we're not experts in Australian trademark law, we happen to have an ex-US trademark attorney on staff (cough), and the Australian system is similar enough to the US system that a simple notice of opposition just isn't that interesting. Here's what's really going on, outside of the sad media frenzy that surrounds anything Apple does: in both the US and Australian systems, a trademark registration is applied for with the appropriate federal agency -- the USPTO, or, in this case, IP Australia. After a period of review by that office for eligibility, it's then published for other companies to review and potentially oppose because it would cause confusion with their own marks. This is the fundamental essence of the trademark process, and every company with a major mark goes through it several times a year -- it's not a lawsuit, and there's no judge or jury, just the trademark examiner. Sure, there are some potentially meaningful and expensive consequences, but filing and responding to oppositions is something that any trademark attorney does quite frequently, and it's not like Apple's aggressively suing anyone here. It's just part of the process. We'd also like to note that all these stories today have but a single source, and that Apple actually filed their notice of opposition in March but no one noticed until Woolworths talked to The Age. If we had to bet we'd say this is a tactical move by Woolworth's PR team to churn public opinion before a decision is issued -- and if it is, well, congratulations to them, because it certainly looks to us like the reality of this story has been totally overshadowed by the second, slightly more fictional story the tech media would like to tell. Sure, it'll be big news if Apple's opposition is successful and Woolworths registration is denied -- and we'll obviously cover it if it happens -- but chances are that Woolworths and Apple's highly-paid attorneys are going to quietly go through the trademark process and come out with an agreement, and we'll never hear about this again. Until the next time everyone gets this story wrong. Update: Oh, and just to make this perfectly clear, Woolworths' application covers "Retailing and wholesaling services including... electronic stores," so there's definitely overlap here. Update 2: You know, we've actually covered this exact same territory with Apple in the past -- will anyone ever learn? Read - Original story in The Age Read - Woolworths trademark filing 1258297 Read - Woolworths trademark filing 1258298
