Hormel, the makers of the original SPAM, want to make sure that their name is still remembered as the original salty and meaty ham thingie (what is SPAM anyway?). They are about the start a new campaign to emphasise that you can actually eat the thing, and that it is not something that has to do with the enlargement of certain body parts.
The fight to reclaim their name has some interesting legal implications. Hormel has sued anti-spam software manufacturer Spamarrest over the use of their trade mark. Spamarrest is fighting the suit, and has requested for a summary judgement in the case. Although it cannot be doubted that Hormel has a trade mark over the name SPAM, the term has become ubiquitous, and is now even in the dictionary as a generic term that describes unsolicited email.
Perhaps Hormel should just enjoy the free publicity. Anyway, here is a disturbing image to haunt your dreams:
1 Comment
Anonymous · November 3, 2004 at 10:54 am
Apparently spam-the-foodstuff has gained popularity since the name acquired such prominence!I used that pic in my presentation last week – ta!How about an entry on what Bush's re-election will mean for cyberlaw – Sighh.. RIPA Revisited Yet Again?