Imagine if "Macworld" couldn't be used to name a publication devoted to Macintosh-related products. Sounds bizarre, no?
Some don't seem to think so. EFF announced Monday that it has filed a lawsuit against French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis Group on behalf of Medical Week News, publishers of the medical news website AcompliaReport.com. The website reports news about Acomplia, a forthcoming Sanofi-Aventis drug. Based on use of the drug's name in the website domain name, Sanofi-Aventis recently threatened Medical Week News with legal action.
In the lawsuit, filed in US District Court in San Francisco, Medical Week News asserts its fair use right to use the word "Acomplia" in publishing independent news about the forthcoming drug.
For more on the lawsuit, see the press release or read the complaint.