[thechat] Sony Loses Walkman Trademark Rights in Austria

[Madhu Menon]

http://www.worldmusicsystems.com/news/newsdetails.asp?id=903&sid=11


<quote>

Austrias Supreme Court has ruled that Japanese company Sony Corp. no longer
has trademark rights over the brand name "Walkman" for portable cassette
players.

Austrias highest court said that the name has already become a common
German noun that refers to all portable cassette players, including those
manufactured by companies other than Sony.

In the German dictionary Duden, an influential reference in German-speaking
regions, "walkman" is also defined as a portable cassette player without
mentioning Sony, and the firm never requested a correction of the
definition, the court said in its ruling.

</quote>

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Madhu Menon
User Experience Consultant
e-mail: webguru at vsnl.net