Trademark Humor

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Greg Leyh <lod@xxxxxxxxxxx>

Possibly off-topic, though it makes me wonder who owns the trademark 
for 'Tesla Coil.'

Apparently the legal department for Taser International has recently 
learned to Google for their name, and they're now engaging in a wide 
campaign to eradicate all unauthorized uses of the word 'Taser' from 
the internet.

Back in 1991, SRL and myself built a device that we dubbed the 'Taser 
Cannon' (i.e. Lorentz Gun) since it used dart-driven seed wires to 
initiate a long, high-current plasma channel in air.  The system can 
be viewed here:  http://www.lod.org/Projects/Other/index.htm

Some time around 1997, TASER International trademarked the word TASER.
Last week, they issued a legal threat to LOD over our use of the word 
on the website.  The legal document can be read here:
http://www.lod.org/Projects/Other/legal.htm

I immediately agreed to their request, and now use the more accurate 
term 'Lorentz Gun' on the LOD website.  It's hilarious that they 
considered the Lorentz Gun to be competition in the first place, and 
the last paragraph of the legal threat is nothing but pure 
drama.    It's clear that they didn't even bother to comprehend the 
description of the Lorentz Gun.

So, who *does* own the rights to 'Tesla Coil?'


-GL