XPost: rec.arts.comics.strips   
   From: ted@loft.tnolan.com   
      
   In article <10n0fef$1cbft$1@dont-email.me>,   
   Cryptoengineer   wrote:   
   >On 2/16/2026 12:09 PM, Paul S Person wrote:   
   >> On Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:29:36 +1300, Your Name    
   >> wrote:   
   >>   
   >>    
   >>   
   >>> Legally, it's often only when used within the same country that   
   >problems occur.   
   >>>   
   >>> There are numerous examples of different companies using the same name,   
   >>> especially in shortened forms. One I often see here in New Zealand is   
   >>> "Apple" which is used by both the computer company "Apple Inc." and a   
   >>> local appliance repair business "Apple Appliances Ltd" (which does not   
   >>> repair computers, just fridges, dishwashers, etc.)*. Plus of course the   
   >>> big lawsuit when Apple computer company tried to move into music and it   
   >>> collided with The Beatles company "Apple Records" / "Apple Corp".   
   >>>   
   >>> * It's surprising that the US computer company hasn't, that I know of,   
   >>> tried to get the appliance repair company to change their name and   
   >>> logo. Apple computer company did try (and fail) to get he supermarket   
   >>> chain Woolworths to change their logo, claiming it was too similar ...   
   >>> depsite being completely different images:   
   >>   
   >> Your later suggestion that they simply missed noticing is possible.   
   >>   
   >> And I don't know how this works in New Zealand.   
   >>   
   >> But, in the USA, a firm that /consistently/ called itself "Apple   
   >> Appliances Ltd" (well, "Inc") might squeeze by on the grounds that it   
   >> was clearly a different business than "Apple Computers, Inc" (or   
   >> whatever they call themselves) and so that nobody could be confused   
   >> and so that the reputation of the Apple Computers' name could not be   
   >> damaged by anything Apple Appliances did.   
   >>   
   >> There once was a printing company named "Avalon Hill" which began   
   >> publishing a series of paper-and-cardboard games based on military   
   >> campaigns. This was fine until a cosmetics (?I think?) company in   
   >> Florida named "Avalon Hill" went nationwide. The result, after   
   >> considerable angst among the gaming community, was that the game   
   >> company had, from that point onwards, to be referred to as "The Avalon   
   >> Hill Game Company" or "TAHGC" for short.   
   >>   
   >> The concerns that usually appear here are either customer confusion or   
   >> trademark dilution. New Zealand is, of course, free to have a   
   >> different approach.   
   >   
   >Generally speaking, if the two product lines are different enough that   
   >consumer confusion seems unlikely, a name can be used by both. Apple   
   >Computer had promised Apple records to keep out of the music space, but   
   >got re-sued over the iPod and Apple Music.   
   >   
   >DEC used to make a popular line of minicomputers under the name 'VAX'.   
   >That name is  also used by a brand of vacuum cleaners in the UK, but   
   >it did not lead to any legal issues when DEC started to sell Vaxen in   
   >Britain.   
   >   
   >pt   
   >   
      
   As I recall, there were joke stickers to the effect "Nothing sucks like a VAX".   
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