Former Amazon CEO to co-head Project Prometheus with tech executive Vik Bajaj, according to the New York Times

  • SomethingWentWrong@lemmy.ca
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    11 hours ago

    The name prometheus is already in use by an open source monitoring project:

    https://prometheus.io/

    They are both in the computer field so there is some chance for confusion. Especially if the Prometheus monitoring project has some AI capabilities then that would strengthen the case for a trademark naming conflict.

    Apple Inc, the computer company, had to settle and pay Apple Corps (the Beatles record label) money to settle trademark rights for the Apple name when Apple got into music business:

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Corps_v_Apple_Computer

    • 𝕛𝕨𝕞-𝕕𝕖𝕧@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      4 hours ago

      these are in separate industries, though. apple had to settle because they started apple music which tacitly operated in the exact same sector of the economy as a record label. just because two things have to do with computers doesn’t mean they’re both in the “computer field”.

      for example, if apple had started selling pianos like yamaha in the mid 2000s instead of opening an in-house music label they’d still be in the “music field” but wouldn’t have had to settle with apple corps because there’s not a reasonable argument that consumers would confuse the two companies just based off the semantic “music” connection. same here. an AI startup isn’t at risk of violating the brand trademark of an open source monitoring project in basically any western legal framework. if the world worked the way you’re saying then a lot of brands wouldn’t exist due to being “in the same field”.

      this startup likely will avoid trademark litigation based on that, despite the companies probably being in the same/similar classes. a judge isn’t going to do anything on these grounds.

    • thejml@sh.itjust.works
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      9 hours ago

      AI would help to account for the memory footprint of Prometheus monitoring… but no. Not yet (I’ve used it for 7+ yrs at this point).

      However theres also the NASA “Project Prometheus” which also predates this, more closely matches the name, but sadly also doesn’t have AI: found here