Hacker News Reader

Comment by pavlov | Hacker News Reader

To be fair, Microsoft Office doesn't exist anymore as a separate brand:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/microsoft-offi...

"Office is now Microsoft 365, the premier productivity suite with innovative productivity apps, intelligent cloud services, and world-class security. Office.com, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows are combined in the Microsoft 365 Copilot app—with a new icon, new look, and even more features."

You can count on Microsoft to mess up their marketing message in the craziest ways. Why stick with the best-known productivity software brand on the planet when you can call it "365 Copilot"?

View on HN

I doubt this will stop the lawsuit. Also Microsoft still absolutely sells Office 365 tiers separately from Microsoft 365 tiers. Their marketing is terrible and confusing but Offie definitely still exits as a brand, and you can bet your bottom dollar the lawyers are going to be having a great day on Monday.

> I doubt this will stop the lawsuit.

I mean, I think that ship has probably sailed. Borland Office showed up at about the same time as Microsoft Office, in the late 80s. Then StarOffice, Corel Office, Wordperfect Office, throughout the 90s... If Microsoft had a defensible trademark there, then this would hardly be the first target. And Microsoft barely uses the "Office" brand _itself_, these days, and hasn't for years.

(There is still a product called Microsoft Office, but the thing that most users would think of as MS Office is now, bafflingly, branded "Microsoft 365 Copilot".)

Microsoft does not have a trademark for "Office", which is clearly a type of product and can't be used as a program name (just like you can't name your oatmeal "Oatmeal" and expect trademark protection).

Microsoft does have a figurative trademark for "Office" with the rectangular icon: https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#details/trademarks/01141355... - office.eu's logo does not bear any resemblance.

The only way this would be infringing is if office.eu usage could be confused with Microsoft other's trademarks - like Microsoft Office - but I don't see that.

So no, office.eu will have a calm Monday on that front, just like hundreds of other companies offering products with "Office" in their name.

(I'm not a lawyer. Talk to a lawyer before deciding to take on a trillion dollar company).

I can't wait to launch my Office alternative in Cameroon, office.cm. I do suspect using such a generic TLD swap of Office's well-known domain for a knockoff is particularly perilous compared to others mentioned. Bear in mind the possibility for consumer confusion is a top criteria.

>just like hundreds of other companies offering products with "Office" in their name

There may be hundreds of other companies selling products with the noun "office" in their names, but there only is one producing a productivity suite called simply "Office". I would expect launching another productivity suite called "Office" would be trademark infringement. Just like I can't release a car called "Beetle" or "Golf".

> productivity suite called simply "Office"

Microsoft Office.

I doubt Microsoft can own a name as generic as Simply "office".

Office.eu does not hold any resemblance to Microsoft Office in terms of logo, typography, makes no reference to MS, etc.

Of course they can sue. The most competent employees at MS are likely their lawyers and lobbyists anyway.

Microsoft never called their productivity suite "simply" office, nor have they registered a product under that name.

If you'd read the article you'd see this one's called "Office.eu" or "Office EU", which is fine.

> Also Microsoft still absolutely sells Office 365 tiers separately from Microsoft 365 tiers.

Case in point:

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/enterprise/off...

And yes. Microsoft branding and marketing is absolutely horrendous.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com