Has anyone noticed Commodore's return from the dead?

[pelrun]

Italian copyright law is a little 'tricky' in this area

The software is copyrighted. The name "Commodore" is trademarked (when selling computer goods). They are completely different things. You can't copyright the word "commodore", because it's an existing english word, not a creation.

You have to be actively trading with them or they automatically expire.

It amazes me that people keep believing this. You really think big business in this era of end-stage capitalism would let trademark law be that hostile to them? The bar to keep a trademark alive is so low it's on the floor, well below "actively traded". As long as there's *anyone* still saying "hey, we own the mark", even if they've got no actual plans to use it, then good luck getting a court to invalidate it.

[andycadley]

It amazes me that people keep believing this. You really think big business in this era of end-stage capitalism would let trademark law be that hostile to them? The bar to keep a trademark alive is so low it's on the floor, well below "actively traded". As long as there's *anyone* still saying "hey, we own the mark", even if they've got no actual plans to use it, then good luck getting a court to invalidate it.

It's a really low bar and any effort to defend a trademark is usually sufficient. The fact nobody has been defending the trademark for the last decade is the issue at hand. Although I believe this Italian Commodore outfit have lost attempts to claim the chicken head logo in the past (but have go a variant with CBM on it or something), which suggests their claim isn't as solid as they seem to suggest.

[Shaun M. Neary]

It amazes me that people keep believing this. You really think big business in this era of end-stage capitalism would let trademark law be that hostile to them? The bar to keep a trademark alive is so low it's on the floor, well below "actively traded". As long as there's *anyone* still saying "hey, we own the mark", even if they've got no actual plans to use it, then good luck getting a court to invalidate it.

Sorry but that's *exactly* how copyright works.
If an intellectual property is that important to you, you'll protect it as much as you'll protect your first born!

Not trying to be a dick here, but that's how it works. Don't like it? Move to Cuba!

[pelrun]

Sorry but that's *exactly* how copyright works.
If an intellectual property is that important to you, you'll protect it as much as you'll protect your first born!

I think you both misread what I said and got the sense backwards, which is an impressive feat.  

[andycadley]

Sorry but that's *exactly* how copyright works.
If an intellectual property is that important to you, you'll protect it as much as you'll protect your first born!

I think you both misread what I said and got the sense backwards, which is an impressive feat. 

You seem to be suggesting that Perifractic's Commodore trademark will stand because "big business". Is that not your opinion?

The way I see it, Perifractic's Commodore isn't "big business" and this crowd from Italy may not be that big, but they're still probably bigger... 

[pelrun]

No, I said "trademarks don't have to be actively traded to retain their legal protections", and "copyrights aren't trademarks". That's it.

It's only the specific things I quoted that I was responding to.

(the bit about "big business" was "trademark law is written to benefit big business, not hinder it", and expiring trademarks is a hinderance.)