Sunday, May 29, 2005

Read this page before Microsoft sues you

Microsoft has listed all its Trademarks here.

According to MS, the absence of a name or logo in this list does not constitute a waiver of any and all intellectual property rights that Microsoft Corporation has established in any of its product, feature, or service names or logos.

The name Microsoft is synonymous with high-quality computer software and hardware products and services. Microsoft trademarks are extremely valuable because they represent the standards of excellence and consistent quality associated with Microsoft. This page contains detailed information about how to reference Microsoft trademarks in different scenarios. Read General Microsoft Trademark Guidelines.

After reading the guidelines, I found one mistake which almost all of do all the time. See the example below.

Set Microsoft Trademarks Apart From Other Words or Nouns They Modify

The common way to do this is to capitalize the product name and use the appropriate trademark symbol and appropriate descriptor. You may also underline, italicize, or bold the name.

Correct: After you install the Windows® operating system...

Incorrect: After installing Windows programs you can...

Then there is a Microsoft logo guidlines page .