Copper interconnects might have been introduced around then, but I suspect the naming is more coincidental than anything.

I remember just after IBM got copper interconnects working, there was a stock market dive, I ranted to my partner about how crazy it is for a company to achieve a sought after goal and have its value decrease. The next day there was a news story about the entire market decline being stalled by the force of IBM buying back it's own shares. My partner told me I should rant less and invest more.