Intel rebuffs Psion's claims in "netbook" lawsuit
updated 03:05 pm EDT, Mon March 23, 2009
Intel Rejects Psion Claims
Intel has issued an official response to Psion's countersuit accusing it of infringing on the "netbook" trademark. The semiconductor company's objections, filed late last week, reject the basic claim that Psion is actively selling any of its old Netbook models; Psion's own website lists 2003's Netbook Pro as a discontinued product and contradicts its own claims, Intel said. The firm also insists that it had tried filing for a trademark on "netbook" but that it hadn't been aware of an existing trademark.
Unusually, Intel further denies that it had registered netbook.com with the aim of promoting its own processors, although the address currently redirects visitors directly to Intel's home page.
Both Intel and Dell had already sued Psion last month for allegedly abusing an outdated trademark by preventing others from using the term. The two have previously argued that "netbook" is now a generic word and that the US government should retire Psion's trademark so that others could use the phrase to describe their own PCs. Psion, in turn has argued that it continues selling the old system but outside of the normal public view. [via Reg Hardware]
