[802SEC] use of trademark symbol inside standard numbers
Karen,
I wanted to follow up with a question I asked you in early December.
In your press release on the approval of IEEE Standard 802.16:
http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/80216app.html
there is a reference to "IEEE Standard 802.16[TM].2" (where [TM] is a
superscript trademark symbol).
I am really puzzled as to the use of the trademark symbol right smack
in the middle of a standard number. My guess is that someone did a
global replace of "802.16" with "802.16[TM]" and failed to notice the
impact on standard 802.16.2. However, I'm not certain. Since the
press release hasn't been corrected, I'm starting to think that this
was actually intentional. Can you clarify?
I hope that this is an editorial oversight, not a policy. It would
take a lot of effort, for instance, to convince the world that
"802.11b" is really "802.11[TM]b".
Regards,
Roger
>Karen,
>
>Thanks for getting the IEEE 802.16 press release onto the IEEE-SA front page:
>
> http://standards.ieee.org/announcements/80216app.html
>
>While I knew that IEEE had trademarked "WirelessMAN", I was
>surprised to find the trademark symbol attached to "802.16" (in 12
>places). I'd like to better understand exactly what the trademark
>covers. I'm a little confused by the press release's statement that
>"IEEE Std 802.16, WirelessMAN is a trademark of the IEEE." Exactly
>what term is trademarked?
>
>[By the way, I didn't find "802.16" on the USPTO site
><http://tess.uspto.gov>. (I did, however, find "802" registered to
>IEEE for "pamphlets of standards and specifications for local and
>metropolitan area networks", to Wayne Gretzky for hockey equipment,
>and to the Bose Corporation for loudspeakers).]
>
>I would like to voice an objection to one particular use of the
>trademark symbol in the press release: the reference to our
>previously-published standard as "IEEE Standard 802.16[TM].2". I
>request that you reconsider this use of the trademark symbol inside
>a standard number. I hope that, if you agree with me, you will
>correct the version on the web.
>
>Thanks for all your help in getting the press release out.
>
>Roger
>
--
Dr. Roger B. Marks <mailto:marks@nist.gov>
Chair, IEEE 802.16 WG on Broadband Wireless Access <http://WirelessMAN.org>
National Wireless Electronic Systems Testbed (N-WEST) <http://nwest.nist.gov>
National Institute of Standards and Technology/Boulder, CO
<http://www.nist.gov>
tel: +1 303 497 3037 fax: +1 303 497 7828