The Metadata Company
Encyclopedia
Metadata is the name of a US
corporation
and a registered trademark
in the United States.
Though the term "metadata" has a common generic use in information technology
, claims of trademark have since brought about legal threats against its use in the generic sense.
The Metadata Company has since attempted to threaten people legally into not using the word "metadata" in the generic sense. Many people believe that due to the widespread use of the word "metadata" in the generic sense as "data about data", it is likely that the "Metadata" trademark has entered the public domain by becoming a general term. This was the legal opinion expressed by the Office of the Solicitor of the United States Department of the Interior to the Federal Geographic Data Committee
when the latter was threatened by Metadata's lawyers for its use of the word "metadata" in a generic sense. However, no judge has as yet ruled the trademark invalid.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
corporation
Corporation
A corporation is created under the laws of a state as a separate legal entity that has privileges and liabilities that are distinct from those of its members. There are many different forms of corporations, most of which are used to conduct business. Early corporations were established by charter...
and a registered trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
in the United States.
Though the term "metadata" has a common generic use in information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, claims of trademark have since brought about legal threats against its use in the generic sense.
History
The word Metadata was registered in 1986 as a trademark (U.S. Trademark Registration No. 1,409,206) belonging to The Metadata Company. The trademark was granted incontestable status in 1991. Metadata is a proprietary mark which stands for The Metadata Company.The Metadata Company has since attempted to threaten people legally into not using the word "metadata" in the generic sense. Many people believe that due to the widespread use of the word "metadata" in the generic sense as "data about data", it is likely that the "Metadata" trademark has entered the public domain by becoming a general term. This was the legal opinion expressed by the Office of the Solicitor of the United States Department of the Interior to the Federal Geographic Data Committee
Federal Geographic Data Committee
The Federal Geographic Data Committee is a United States government committee which promotes the coordinated development, use, sharing, and dissemination of geospatial data on a national basis. Its 19 members are representatives from the Executive Office of the President, and Cabinet level and...
when the latter was threatened by Metadata's lawyers for its use of the word "metadata" in a generic sense. However, no judge has as yet ruled the trademark invalid.