Comments on: CentrO – possible trademark issue for Palm

By: Stefano rubuano

Stefano rubuano — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 06:50:35 +0000

Dear Tam Hanna, Centro is the italian word for Center, (centre). If You will come here in Italy, You will see this word maybe 10000/100000 times, CentroMarca, CentroItalia, TuttoCentro, CentroThis, CentroTht…

So why worry? I can quote ProfJonathan: “unless under the Italian trademark law, handheld devices and shopping centers are in the same category (and who knows, perhaps they are), or consumers are confused as to whether there’s a business connection between the two when there isn’t, this should not be a problem for Palm.”

Maybe they will change the name of the Smartphone here in Italy.

———– Stefano rubuano

By: ProfJonathan

ProfJonathan — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:28:21 +0000

Trademark is industry specific, so unless under the German trademark law, handheld devices and shopping centers are in the same category (and who knows, perhaps they are), or consumers are confused as to whether there's a business connection between the two when there isn't, this should not be a problem for Palm. A quick look at the for Germany shows many uses of Centro in a variety of industries or classes. {Prof. Jonathan}

By: Smee Jenkins

Smee Jenkins — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 23:30:46 +0000

There are a whole chain of shopping malls in Australia called Centro. I don’t think trademark matters as it is only for a specific “type of object”, and shopping malls and smartphones are very different.

By: Jose Gutierrez

Jose Gutierrez — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 20:54:14 +0000

Centro is the Spanish word for “center”. Creating a trademark issue for a commonly used Spanish word doesn’t make any sense.

Centro as a brand is probably being used in the world over as many times as the brand Center.

Cheers

By: Brent Chiodo

Brent Chiodo — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:13:20 +0000

You know that the other day I saw a Centro Bus Commercial and and thought that exact thing. Just Google Centro, and it’ll be the first one after Palm I checked the Centro Bus website, and it doesn’t seem to be a registered trademark though…

By: Stero

Stero — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 15:56:57 +0000

Dear Tam Hanna,

your comments concerning Oberhausen sound a bit dismissive. With 218.181 residents calling Oberhausen a village is a bit strange. And your (german speaking) “Pluralis majestatis” “… we don’t know if the boys in Oberhausen …” makes it a childish phrase.

You can be pretty sure that the Palm community located in North Rhine-Westphalia knows about the Palm Centro phone.

Best regards,
Stefan