IT Business
Google to be sued over Nexus One
Family of Blade Runner author claim name is a trademark violation
By Carrie-Ann Skinner | PC Advisor | Published 12:39, 07 January 10
The family of author Philip K. Dick are complaining that Google’s new Nexus One phone infringes on the late writer’s novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?”, a book that was the basis of the 1982 film "Blade Runner".
According to the daughter of the late author, Isa Dick Hackett, the name of the web company's 'superphone' - the Nexus One - is similar to the Nexus 6 cyborgs, which appear in the book, and is a trademark violation.
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"Google takes first and then deals with the fallout later," Dick Hackett told the Daily Telegraph.
"In my mind, there is a very obvious connection to my father's novel. People don't get it. It's the principle of it. It would be nice to have a dialogue. We are open to it. That's a way to start."
Hackett said her family had asked Google to stop using the name.
The handset, which runs the company's own Android platform, was unveiled this week. It is manufactured by HTC and powered by a Qualcomm 1 GHz Snapdragon processor.
However, Google claims the name has nothing to do with the book.
