Use "PCI" - go to jail!

[Michael Bender <Michael.Bender@sun.com>]

Austin Franklin wrote:

 > According to the letter that PCI-SIG sent out, they CLAIM that EVEN
 > the use of "PCI" is a violation:
 >
 > "so that we can prepare the necessary written assurances that you will
 > discontinue all use of the name PCI..."
 >
 > That's what the lawyers letter says!!!
 >
 > The can ask that those not authorized not use the trademarked logos etc.,
 > but use of the letters "PCI" I don't believe they have any legal authority
 > to demand that.  If I designed a PCI card, and said so on my resume, I
 > don't see how they can prohibit me from doing that, legally.
 >
 > I believe I should write to this lawyer and ask for clarification.
 >
 > Anyone manage to find any PCI-SIG contact information to someone who can
 > speak with authority on this issue?

I hope they also go after:

	http://www.pci.com
	http://www.pci.org
	http://www.pci.net

because it's pretty obvious that the Prestressed Concrete Institute is
infringing on the PCI trademark and many people will mistakenly order
a PCI card but receive instead several tons of concrete.

They should also go after Microchip, since their flagship embedded
processor, the PIC, has a name that is pretty darn close to PCI, and
since both the PIC and a PCI board are electronic things, uneducated
consumers might very well get confused and try to install a PIC into
their PCI system.

Oh, and let's not forget the PIC at Fry's in the PCI department :-).

The chairman of the board of the PCI-SIG should be ashamed of himself
and his organization for pulling such a boneheaded move. Do people
like this just stop thinking after a while? Maybe it's time for the
member companies of the PCI-SIG to demand a change of leadership,
since it's pretty obvious that the existing leadership isn't serving
the needs of PCI developers.

mike

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   Michael Bender                       E-Mail: Michael.Bender@sun.com
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