14 DAY TRIAL // It appears that the war against those who use the term “smartbook” has reached a new milestone in the approximately 24 hours that have passed since we initially reported on the story. The 'Smartbook AG' German company that holds the copyright and trademark rights to the term has now expanded its legal action to those companies that use it to describe a portable computer system that is powered by their processors. According to reports, Qualcomm, one of the main promoters of the smartbook device and concept, has just been hit by a German court with a restraining order from using the term, following the action against a German blogging site, which we reported on.
According to a recent news-article on jkontherun.com, chip maker Qualcomm has been hit with an order from a German court to stop using the term 'smartbook', on request by Smartbook AG. The company, which has also initiated a legal action against netbooks.com for using the term, has managed to get a restraining order in the Cologne District Court. According to the order, in case of non-compliance, a fine of 250,000 Euros or arrest for contempt can be issued.
“Internet sites of the Qualcomm Inc. such as www.hellosmartbook.com and Internet sites of the German branch office Qualcomm CDMA GmbH, which refer to the U.S. web site of the Qualcomm Inc., were already blocked for users with a German IP address,” said Dirk Pick, CEO of Smartbook AG, in a press release revealed by the aforementioned website. “We are confronted with an almost absurd but at the same time bold attack against our brand name. It is Qualcomm who forced us to implement defensive measures. We will protect our brand.”
Currently, there's no reaction from Qualcomm, but the chip maker, which has used the term smartbook to define a device that bridges the netbook and smartphone markets, is likely going to respond to the legal action that has been brought upon it.