Dell calls for Psion 'netbook' trademark to be removed

Dell has enlisted the help of the U.S. courts in a bid to remove Psion's trademark of the term "metbook."

"Netbook" is the term used to describe low-cost and low-spec small laptops that are ideal for surfing the Web on the go. Psion registered the term toward the end of the 1990s and even issued warning letters to PC manufacturers last year in a bid to stop the term being used.

[ Dell on Thursday also launched a new netbook, the Inspiron Mini 10. To determine whether the form factor is right for your users, read InfoWorld's "Do netbooks make sense for business users?" ]

However, Dell claims the brand is not offering any products in the "netbook" range and has no plans to do so in the future. According to Savethenetbooks.com, Dell has filled a Petition for Trademark Cancellation with a U.S. court.

"Upon information and belief, Psion intends not to resume bona fide use of the Netbook name in the ordinary course of trade," Dell said in the petition.

Dell also claims Psion falsified the terms of use of the phrase. The company claims Psion's senior product manager, Herb Turzer, lied about selling products under the netbook brand in November 2006.

"Upon information and belief, such statements were false at the time they were made," says Dell.

Psion was unavailable for comment.