Lawyer Trademarks "Cyberlaw" 81
BigTimOBrien writes to mention the EFF is reporting that self-proclaimed cyberlawyer, Eric Menhart, has decided to trademark use of the term "cyberlaw" and is threatening other lawyers with legal action over the term. "I wish I could say I was surprised by this one, but such overreaching invocations of IP rights are all too common -- even where, as in this case, there are no actual "rights" to speak of. But an IP lawyer should know that courts (and trademark examiners, and many tech companies that might be potential clients) don't look kindly on efforts to abuse trademark law to control everyday language. Here's hoping Menhart figures that out fast."
Re:EFF invented "CyberLaw" (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:EFF invented "CyberLaw" (Score:3, Interesting)
Amazon has fifty books for sale with Cyberlaw in their title. None of them refer to this scumbag lawyer. The term is used as a generic, not a trademark.
My own book has a Cyberlaw tag [amazon.com] on the Amazon cloud.
I think the reason the EFF is upset is that they suspect a lawyer who uses this type of scumbag tactics probably isn't a very good lawyer either.
Cyberlaw is a clearly generic. Anyone sending cease and desist letters should be disbarred.
Re:EFF invented "CyberLaw" (Score:3, Interesting)