What’s in a name?
HTC has got itself into a bit of a legal pickle as the name of its ChaCha handset, which debuted at MWC, is already in use.
The mobile manufacturer trumpeted two Facebook phones last week, which allow users to update their social network pages using a handy Facebook button but the name of one of the mobiles is the problem.
The ChaCha, is an HTC Android Gingerbread handset with a ‘tilt design,' a smallish screen and QWERTY keyboard as well as a 5MP camera. It is also the name of an internet search engine and there lies the rub, according to The Independent.
ChaCha search engine has apparently already trademarked the name in Europe and the US and now intends on suing HTC.
Web Pro News reported that the search engine's co-founder, Scott James said in a statement: "ChaCha has registered trademark rights in the CHACHA mark and has spent years building its rights in its CHACHA brand. ChaCha initiated the HTC action in order to protect those valuable rights that ChaCha has established in the CHACHA mark."
The handset is set to launch in the UK on 17 June, according to Expansys' website so there is not a great deal of time to re-brand and re-market the phone - oops.
And it seems that it is not just HTC that's made a slip-up on the naming front. According to Tech Whack, Motorola could also face problems with trademark violation too.
It seems that its new tablet, the Motorola Zoom, which is tipped to be the big threat to Apple's iPad 2 Apple's iPad 2, is being targeted by Xoom Corporation, which isn't happy with the choice of name for the slate.
This could be especially problematic as the Xoom has just gone on sale in the US. All eyes will now be on the legal decision, which could impact on the success of both mobile devices.
The Android Honeycomb tablet is not cheap at $800 in the US but is 4G compatible, which Motorola reckons justifies the hefty price tag.
"We felt that our ability to deliver 50Mb/s would justify the $799 price point. It is 32GB with 3G and a free upgrade to 4G. Being competitive with iPad is important. We feel that from the hardware and capabilities we deliver we are at least competitive and in a number of ways better [than the iPad]," Motorola's mobility chief, Sanjay Jha said.
HEXUS got its hands on the new Honeycomb tablet at MWC and was impressed with its multitasking ability, graphics and speed, predicting it should do well against its competitors.
A Wi-Fi only version is set to launch in the US and Europe and it will be interesting to see whether it has the same name as its more spec-happy big brother.
