How did Motorola get away with calling their phone the "Droid"?

[tenkainen]

Verizon licensed the Droid name not Motorola. The Motorola name is A855.

And in Europe it seems to be marketed as Motorola Milestone.

Actually everywhere else but in Usa: Motorola MILESTONE - Full phone specifications

 

[takeshi]

What's done is done, I suppose- but I'm just curious how Motorola was able to get around trademark and copyright issues, and why Google would allow this in the first place?

See below. Droid isn't Google's trademark and copyright isn't relevant.

That may be, but the definition of the word Android, is "a robot resembling a human being". The word "Droid", is simply short for that. It is like saying Mike instead of Michael. Same diff.

It's not the "same difference" with trademarks. Trademarking "Michael" does not automatically trademark "Mike".

The really appaling thing to me is that Lucasfilm was able to copyright a word like Droid to begin with.

They didn't copyright it. You can't copyright words (ask the estate of Philip K. Dick). It's a registered trademark.

 

[graymulligan]

and just so we're clear, the word droid isn't "short for android"...it's a different term entirely.

 

[alphabets]

you dont have a droid...i do. you have a hero. period.

 

[MisterB]

No...no you don't. You also don't have a Tivo, if it's a TIme Warner DVR. It's not Kleenex if the box says Puffs on it. The issue here is that you're confusing terminology that it appears that everyone else in this thread understands.

Verizon licensed the term to use in its marketing of the Eris, the Motorola 855, etc. It's not really that confusing. An HTC Hero isn't a droid. Because HTC doesn't use the term to market it. Pretty simple really.

Duh. If you go around calling a Kleenex a "Puff", because that's the name on box you happened to buy that week, you're the confused one. LOL. Jesus Christ...

Also, if the Eris (which is made my HTC) can be called a "Droid", no reason why the HTC Hero cannot be. The two devices are almost identical, and are made by the same company. It's just that one is available on Verizon, the other on Sprint. I don't give a sh!t if Verizon paid the money to market the name "Droid".

 

[Eugene]

I've never seen the Eris called just a droid. I've always seen (Verizon) call is thr Droid Eris. So to follow the same logic the Hero would be called the Droid Hero. Only the Motorola A855 is called Droid.

 

[alphabets]

I've never seen the Eris called just a droid. I've always seen (Verizon) call is thr Droid Eris. So to follow the same logic the Hero would be called the Droid Hero. Only the Motorola A855 is called Droid.

this

 

[bobo5884]

you dont have a droid...i do. you have a hero. period.

What he said ^. Go cry about it. Superman was a real Hero. Go call HTC if your bored.