Re: Advice on Trademark Issues requested

[Darren New <dnew@san.rr.com>]

Rainer Gerhards wrote:
 > was tempted to replace it by the abbreviation "SDE" in the protcol-02
darft. However, I found that this is a trademark.

I'm not a lawyer. However, it's a question of what it's trademarking.
Trademarks are intended to distinguish where the product comes from, and
trademark infringement comes when someone's using a trademark for their
product that might confuse consumers into thinking it's someone else's
product. If there's a trademarked laundry soap called SDE, it's unlikely
to be confused with the letters SDE in a protocol description for a
computer program. This is how you have Apple Computers and Apple
Records, and the problem only came up when Apple Computers started
selling computers that could play music.

There's also a situation with "Well known" trademarks. You cannot, for
example, call your car company McDonalds, even tho an automobile is
unlikely to be confused with a burger joint.

Of course, all this is a layman's understanding of US trademark law.
YMMV. Consult a real lawyer before getting sued.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA USA (PST)
   I am in geocentric orbit, supported by
   a quantum photon exchange drive....