Python Trademark Status

[David]

On Sun, 27 Aug 2000 09:50:40 +0100, Grant Griffin <g2 at seebelow.org> wrote:

>David wrote:
>> 
>...
>> Thus, you are not allowed to use the big yellow M arches for *any* product
>> or service, as doing so would imply to the typical consumer that McDonalds
>> corporation is the owner or affliate of the product or service.
>> 
>> You *are* allowed to use the name McDonalds for your auto repair shop, as
>> the consumer is unlikely to confuse your services with those of the fast
>> food franchise.  You are allowed to, that is, if you can afford to maintain
>> the lawsuit that McDonald's franchise will inevitably bring to bear against
>> you.
>
>So do you think they'll let call my auto repair shop "Kodak", or my new
>variety of apples "Xerox", or my new steel I-beams "Kleenex", or my new
>programming language "Coca-Cola"?

You have presented a series of invented words.  The owners of those words
have control over them.  That's why those words exist: the owners aren't
willing to risk sharing their trademark.
 
For generic words -- like "Python" -- the word can be used by multiple
parties for their products: the rule of thumb is that the consumer shan't
confuse the products.
 
Thus, the term "Python" is currently in process of being trademarked by
CNRI for use as the name of a programming language; in process of being
trademarked by MK Products as the name of some type of welding equipment;in
process of being trademarked by Directed Electronics as the name of some
remote-control toy; in process of being trademarked by Trussadi Italy as
hair oil (!!); and is fully trademarked by LeMans Corp for use as the name
of a motorcycle exhaust/muffler system.  And etcetera.