Philip K Dick's estate threatens Google
From The Wall Street Journal: "As Google Inc. launches its Nexus One phone, one call that the company hasn't made is to the family members of science-fiction author Philip K. Dick, who complain the device's name infringes on one of Mr. Dick's most famous novels." "Ms. Hackett argues the association between the phone and the book are cemented by the fact that the Nexus One runs Google's Android operating system."
Novel in question is "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep" (troublesome androids in the story are equipped with "Nexus-6 brain unit"). "Ms. Hackett" is "a daughter of Mr. Dick and the chief executive of Electric Shepherd Productions, an arm of the Dick estate devoted to adapting the late author's works."
[via Boing Boing]
2 comments:
I just think this kind of thing is ridiculous! I'm prettty sure that if Dick were alive now he would be laughing and feel honoured to have a phpne named after one of his (lesser) creations; I know I would!
I'm getting a feeling someone thinks they can milk Google for some money - may be the cost to Google of a litigation will be less than cost of settlement! US administration is known to be very liberal in granting frivolous claims when the magic phrase "intellectual property" is mentioned. I'm not sure how sympathetic the courts will be to claim, but just going to courts has some cost to Google & publicity for Dick estate - may be they can sell some more of his books because of additional publicity!
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