Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.datemas.de!rt.uk.eu.org!aioe.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: "Rod Pemberton" Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth Subject: Re: Apple's top secret Swift language Date: Tue, 22 Jul 2014 04:10:07 -0400 Organization: Aioe.org NNTP Server Lines: 56 Message-ID: References: <23f601ee-818e-4df7-87b8-36e73ed70d54@googlegroups.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: CNsg4fVcCsvs3UaOgZtQCw.user.speranza.aioe.org Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1; format=flowed; delsp=yes Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Complaints-To: abuse@aioe.org User-Agent: Opera Mail/12.16 (Linux) X-Notice: Filtered by postfilter v. 0.8.2 Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.forth:32536 On Tue, 22 Jul 2014 02:21:45 -0400, rickman wrote: > On 7/22/2014 12:49 AM, Ron Aaron wrote: >> On 07/22/2014 03:16 AM, Elizabeth D. Rather wrote: >>> On 6/6/14 3:30 PM, VisualForth.com wrote: >>>> Is Apple's top secret Swift language Swift Forth? >>> We (FORTH, Inc.) are wondering how much confusion there actually is or >>> may be regarding these names. It sounds as though several of you were, >>> in fact, wondering about this. What do you hear from your colleages or >>> friends about this? >> >> Really? >> >> Is there more than a handful of people who are confused by this? >> >> It's not like Apple's Swift resembles any Forth at all, let alone Swift >> Forth. > > But until you take a look at the Apple project you don't know. The > issue is whether anyone would be confused by Apple's use of the name. I > can see where someone would know about the Apple use of the name "Swift" > for a language and would assume the Forth Inc product is a derivative of > that rather than a totally independent product. Very likely they would > not dig any further in exploring the Forth Inc product. > > I don't see how Apple can think there wouldn't be a problem for Forth > Inc. On the other hand, I can see where it might generate a lot of > contacts for Forth Inc, but then that may not be good if the contacts > have no interest at all in SwiftForth. Someone once said there is no > such thing as bad publicity. :) > I can see where someone would know about the use of the name apple to represent the common fruit and might be confused with Apple's use of apple ... Is confusion the only grounds for infringement? Does use of a word by protected by a government on behalf of a commercial company entirely prohibit it's use by others? How common can a name be and still be protected? There is nothing wrong with having an a car, washer, dryer, fruit juice, etc by companies named Apple which aren't the Apple computer company. If they're not in the same industry in the same country, it makes no difference. So, this conversation is entirely ludicrous. I.e., in this case the presence and absence of "Forth" might be sufficient legal grounds to differentiate the two. There are numerous examples where U.S. corporations have used the same word or words in their product names and trademarked phrases. E.g., Acme as a corporate name. Rod Pemberton