Web 2.0 is a trademark, let's use Web 2.1 ? - Updated
Again a problem of copyright and trademark, but this time it's just about a name which is making the buzz this year and called "Web 2.0". Yesterday IT@Cork, a not-for-profit networking organisation for IT professionals, received a legal correspondence from O’Reilly; in the topic : don't use "web 2.0" in your conference name because it's a trademark.
Something about an upcoming Web 2.0 half-day conference organized by IT@Cork. But this wasn't the problem.
Tom Raftery, last February have invited Tim O’Reilly to speak at this conference and his response (which he received on 15th of February) was "I would love to be able to do it, but my schedule is just too full for an additional international trip.". This was on february, but two weeks before the conference date he send them lawyers ?
So why not call it web 2.1, as someone pointed in a comment, the bugfix for web 2.0 ? or better web 3.0 ? Anyway in the future, you have been warned ! Call your conference or business something else, or this is a better tip search for an available trademark before on http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm, then register it and use it yourself. Personaly I'll do better stop working in technology, and work in a lawyer office !
Update : On the O'Reilly radar there is an update by Sara Winge :
Donagh Kiernan of IT@Cork (to whom the letter was addressed) graciously talked with me late in the work day on a Friday (Irish time), and we've resolved the service mark issue. O'Reilly and CMP are fine with IT@Cork using "Web 2.0" in the name of their June 8 conference. And I apologized again to Donagh for the tone of our letter, and for that fact that we didn't contact IT@Cork before sending it. That's not the
For more information :
O’Reilly Radar
Tom Raftery
Web 2.0 Trademark registration
