IE? Indo-European/Internet Explorer

[Laurence Horn]

At 12:03 PM -0500 4/2/02, Mark A Mandel wrote:
>On Tue, 2 Apr 2002, carljweber wrote:
>
>#The following just came up on cybalist at yahoogroups.com , the Indo-European
>#discussion group.
>
>I assume it was dated April 1; right?
>
>-- Mark A. Mandel

That (i.e., if you'll pardon the expression, the April Fools' hoaxity
of this memo) is the consensus around here.

larry

>
>#''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''
>#In 1998, Microsoft Corp., accused (oh, how unfairly) of stealing the name
>#"Internet Explorer" from Synet Inc., agreed to pay $5 million to Synet's
>#trustees to end a legal battle over the use of the name. In return,
>#Microsoft now owns Synet's trademark registrations for the name "Internet
>#Explorer" in the state of Illinois. This includes the abbreviation "IE",
>#which is regarded by Microsoft as a copyrighted product and a legally
>#protected brand name. Microsoft's lawyers have just notified eGroups that
>#the unauthorised use of the abbreviation "IE" on the Internet (regardless of
>#its actual reference) will qualify as copyright infringement and all
>#necessary legal steps will be taken to discourage it. We are therefore
>#requested to invent a new abbreviation for "Indo-European" or to use the
>#unabbreviated term. "PIE" cannot be used either, since it has also been
>#copyrighted as the abbreviated form of of "Personalized Internet Experience"
>#("The Microsoft PIE").
>#
>#Piotr
>#