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From: Greg Lehey <grog@lemis.de>
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Organisation: LEMIS, Schellnhausen 2, 36325 Feldatal, Germany
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Subject: Re: Abmahnung
In-Reply-To: <199701140224.TAA00780@xmission.xmission.com> from Softweyr LLC at "Jan 13, 97 07:24:47 pm"
To: softweyr@xmission.com (Softweyr LLC)
Date: Thu, 16 Jan 1997 12:15:00 -0600 (CST)
Cc: chat@FreeBSD.ORG (FreeBSD Chat)
Reply-to: grog@lemis.de (Greg Lehey)
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Softweyr LLC writes:
> % Hmm?  I read "Abmahnung" as 'dissuasion' or something similar implying a
> % warning away from something.
>>
>> No, it's an active legal term.  There's a very good German word,
>> "Warnung", for what you're talking about.  I don't think "Abmahnung"
>> has a translation because the action itself is so despicable.
>
> Knowing how Germanic roots work in English, the literal translation
> is probably "Admonition."  It has the connotation of a warning
> (warnung) that borders on preaching or harping.

Knowing how legal people work anywhere, I'd say your linguistic
derivations are on shaky ground.  There's also a word "Verwarnung"
which comes closer to admonition, though in legal usage both are
associated with a fee.

>> As if that weren't bad enough, the ostensible copyright infringement
>> is not even for the word Triton--it's something vaguely similar.  He's
>> on very thin ice, and I'm surprised that no group has formed to
>> prosecute him.
>
> It probably wouldn't stand up in the USA, where a fairly direct
> conflict is required to prove trademark infringement. 

That's something positive, anyway.

> I've often wondered if I could make a fortune by buying a bunch of
> Geo Metros, knocking the badgework off, and re-marketing them as
> "MS-Car97."

Sure.  Wait until Gates sues you, plead bankruptcy and sell your story
to the news media :-)

Greg