Re: DEC vs AltaVista

On 06/05/97, Bob Stock <bstock[_at_]ucla.edu> wrote:
>
> On Tue, 03 Jun 1997, Jamie Powers <jamie[_at_]srgpe.com> wrote:
> >
> > First, the Altavista still exists (www.altavista.com); I just
> > couldn't bring it up the few times I recently tried.
>
> I had trouble with it as well during one time period but brought it
> up during another. Perhaps litigation costs are eating into their
> maintenance budget. :)
>
> > Notably, it mentions nothing of the DEC lawsuit.
>
> Not directly, but it carries the language ordered by the injunction:
>
> "AltaVista Technology, Inc. is not affiliated with Digital Equipment
> Corporation, AltaVista Internet Software, Inc. or the AltaVista
> Internet Search Service. The AltaVista Internet Search Service may
> be found at http://www.altavista.digital.com."
>
> Actually, I find it intriguing that company web sites carry
> information about their own pending lawsuits. Zippo is a good
> example. Earthlink is another.

The disclaimer language presently at the Altavista.com site was already there before the recent legal tangles. I don't know when it first appeared but it would have been foreseeable at the time of the original "sale/leaseback" deal that confusion was possible. To address this, DEC's lawyers might have included in the license back the requirement of a clear disclaimer of association.

Does anyone know if DEC appended to its complaint the license it granted to Altavista? I think we'd all be educated if we could see the document which is at the core of this dispute. Also, I think having the agreement would be an excellent aid as we all perform this quite public post mortem on a failed internet/trademark licensing effort.

Jamie Powers
<jamie[_at_]srgpe.com> Received on Thu Jun 05 1997 - 13:46:30 GMT