Gambit |
03-01-2007 06:19 PM |
If they're charging money for them, it's a pretty cut-n-dried legal issue. If they give 'em away for free, somewhat less so, but companies can lose their trademark if they don't protect it.
Linden Labs had a pretty cool solution to someone who was doing some unofficial stuff (extensions? Can't remember) with their "Second Life" game. They sent 'em a letter that said, basically, "Hey, you're using our protected property without our permission, and that's not cool. However, we hereby issue you a license to continue doing so until/unless we tell you to stop." One analysis I read said that is a great way to legally protect your trademark without coming across to the user community as a jerk.
IMHO, Vivendi, or whoever now owns the marks on that ring, would be well-served to issue such a letter to the guy who makes 'em.
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