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Comment by Turing_Machine | Hacker News Reader

That horse left the barn when Microsoft trademarked "Windows". Likely before.

In the US at least, I believe trademarks are scoped to a certain industry or something like that. So Microsoft would only have claim to operating systems named Windows, not the word itself in all contexts. Which might still be a bit broad, but not as crazy as it may sound at first.

This is true everywhere.

In fact, this app is for "Downloadable computer software for modifying and enabling transmission of images, audio-visual and video content; downloadable computer software for viewing and interacting with a feed of images, audio-visual and video content and associated text and data; computer software for social networking. "

The third category is especially problematic, but all of these have common words that end in -gram or -graph.

Hmm, this app sounds like a browser to me.

something like that, yeah.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Corps_v_Apple_Computer

though, in your example, i'd have to wager the Windows trademark extends way further than just "operating systems". "computing" at large seems more likely.

Went down a rabbit hole and ended up with Guy Goma's famous BBC interview on the verdict of Apple Corp vs Apple Computer

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Goma

https://vimeo.com/108900641

Though this isn't necessarily true if the trademark was originally a made-up word. You couldn't open a burger restaurant called "Microsoft Burgers" and expect to get away with it because Microsoft isn't in the restaurant business.

You actually very well could why do you think you couldn't?

Right, but at least "Windows" was somewhat unique in the area of computer operating systems.

The word "gram" is much less unique in the areas of communication and delivery. After all, it's derived from telegram. Instagram is not only something-gram communication service. (And it's not the only insta-something either)

Not really windows the concept was a thing prior to windows tm. Windows 1.0 came out in 85. X windows predecessor W windows came out in 83 and the Xerox Alto was released in the 70s.

This is why windows is a nonsense trademark even in reference to computer software but Microsoft Windows is reasonable.

For a previous exploration of this issue see the Lindows linux distro legal fight which Microsoft lost.

I recall the proper name for X being "X Window System" with "X Windows" being merely slang. I remember early 90s Unix books being quite pedantic on that point. Is that right or is my memory faulty on that one?

Good point on the Lindows overreach.

Speaking of telegram: https://telegram.org/ Wonder what the makers of that one think about this trademark application....

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