Psion hits back at Intel in 'netbook' row
3rd March 2009
A bitter dispute has broken out between Psion, the PC manufacturer, and Intel, the chip maker, over the use of the term "netbook".
Psion Teklogix, a maker of personal computers most famous for its Organiser device, is defending its claim to "netbook" as a trademark, granted in the 1990s when it launched a range of "netBook" computers. Intel and other companies, including the computer maker Dell, want to be able to use the word generically, claiming that it has passed into widespread public use. Psion has accused Intel of "wilful and malicious" marketing of netbook-branded products and is suing for millions of pounds in damages.
The netbook category acquired new value when Asustek's Eee PC became an overnight sensation on its launch in October 2007. Asus's success caught the attention of PC makers, and netbooks are now offered by top vendors including Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer and Lenovo. Shipments of netbooks totalled 10 million in 2008, and could double this year, according to forecasts by the research company IDC.
Psion's range of netBooks did reasonable business, but the company ceased manufacture in 2006. Intel has been using the word "netbook" in its advertising to describe the sector for more than a year, particularly in connection with its market-leading Atom processor, which is used in many ultra-portable laptops
Intel said last week that it had joined Dell and other companies in an attempt to free the term "netbook" from the clutches of Psion, which in December issued cease-and-desist warnings to PC makers, bloggers and retailers warning them to stop using the term to describe products.
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