Linksys and their "iPhone"

I got an e-mail from Linksys today regarding their "iPhone." This is not the Apple iPhone due out in June. This is some kind of VoIP phone for Skype etc.

I guess I got the e-mail since I own (and probably registered) a couple of home networking devices from Linksys. I remember reading that Apple got sued by Cisco (the parent company to Linksys) because they already owned the iPhone name. I never recall seeing the iPhone brand marketed by Linksys before. Perhaps they are just starting now so they can show they've not only owned the name but used it. I know that to keep a brand name, you must defend it rigorously and continue to make use of it so it doesn't become obsolete.

They will also likely benefit from the millions of searches going on for Apple's iPhone. Perhaps some folks will stumble across their phone and end up buying one. It will be interesting to see how this plays out in court.

Here are a couple of Cisco blog posts regarding the situation:

Lawsuit update

On maintaining their trademark