Google bans word “netbook” from its ad network |
Unless you live under a rock, you have heard of a netbook already. Netbooks are one of the sole bright spots in the computer industry amid the current poor global economy. The netbook market is posting significant growth as shipments of other more expensive notebooks and desktops are slumping.
Psion has been saying for over a year that computer markers shouldn’t be using the term “netbook” to generically describe the small, low cost systems we know and love today. The reason is that Psion apparently owns the trademark for the word “netbook” and has a machine that goes by that name.
Psion has won a battle in the effort to prevent its trademark form becoming generic with Google announcing that the term has been banned from its Adsense ad network. These ads are the ones you see on virtually every website out there that use text and links to buy the products. If we can’t call the little machines netbooks, what will we call them? Mini Laptops? Perhaps by the Latin, Lapitopus Minimus?
TAGS: Google, Netbook, Psion
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That’s my adsense revenue down the drain then!!
“Save the Netbooks” campaign launched to fight impending trademark threat
The “Save the Netbooks” campaign is fighting the impending trademark threat
from Psion Teklogix, who have given until the end of March 2009 to cease using
the term, citing trademarks relating to a line of products discontinued over 5
years ago.
For more information visit http://www.savethenetbooks.com/.
The ball’s back in Google’s court now:
Mission One: Reverse the Google AdWords “netbook” ban
If Psion’s “netbook” trademarks are good enough for Google they’re good enough for the rest of us, right? Not necessarily. While this is a victory chalked up for the visitors it is less significant than it has been made out to be. Furthermore, reversing it now could well prove the death knell for Psion’s marks (it would be far worse to have this victory briefly than to have not had it in the first place). Here’s hoping that Google do the right thing sooner rather than later.
Fortunately it shouldn’t be all that difficult. Here’s why…