--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Sun, 21 May 2000 02:56:56 CDT
From: Joseph McCollum <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: METADATA as a Trademark <fwd>
Sender: Joseph McCollum <[log in to unmask]>



On Fri, 19 May 2000 15:09:44 -0400 Johnnie Sutherland
<[log in to unmask]> writes:
>--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
>Date: Thu, 18 May 2000 17:11:03 -0500
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: METADATA as a Trademark
>Sender: [log in to unmask]
>
>
>I am not a part of your list, but thought you might like some
>background/history/resource information about trademarks (at least in
>the US). I am the Patent and Trademark Librarian at a Patent and
Trademark
>Depository Library, a program sponsored by the United States Patent
>and Trademark Office (USPTO).
>
>First some resources:
>
>The letter to the colleague (or colleague's client) said:
>"Our client's mark is registered as U.S. Trademark Registration Nos.
>1,409,260 and 2,185,504"
>
>This can be verified at the USPTO's TESS database or Trademarkscan US
>Federal (available from Dialog and possible other online services).  I
>did this and sure enough, those two marks are the only ones registered
for
>Metadata. Interestingly an Australian company applied for Metadata for
>computer software, but the application was abandoned at the
>applicant's request. Hmmm... (the database doesn't have the detail of
the
>correspondence).
>

>****************************************
>Donna Hopkins
>Patents/Engineering Librarian
>141 Middleton Library
>Louisiana State University
>Baton Rouge, LA 70803
>(225)388-8264
>[log in to unmask]
>
>--- End Forwarded Message ---

Are you aware that USGS (the United States Geological Survey) and the
Federal Geographic Data Committee routinely use this word -- and ask
others preparing maps under their standards to use it as well?  (As do
people in other sciences besides geography)  It says 1986 as trademark
date -- unfortunately I cannot claim that this already was a generic word
before then (in the scientific community at least) -- but I am inclined
to believe that it is.  Is this Australian outfit prepared to sue the
United States government?

Joseph McCollum
USDA Forest Service
Asheville, NC

I would ask interested parties to also check out the League for
Programming Freedom.
http://lpf.ai.mit.edu


--- End Forwarded Message ---