Avi Bar-Zeev (avi++at++oz.net)
Mon, 31 Mar 1997 23:31:44 -0800
Giacomo Pfinzani, spokeseman for the Philidelphia-based appliance
giant, in an offensive media blitz, claimed that SGI, known in
the simulation industry for it's very large computers, knowingly
copied Pfister's "Pfaucet with the pFunny name" campaign by applying
the letters "pf" to a whole host of names in what is known in the
comupter industry as an Application Programmers Interface or API.
The "API" in question is called Performer, which, according to Pfinzani,
is itself "too damn close" to his company's name. But, as he quickly
points out, SGI's Performer product uses the trademarked "pf" prefix
throughout the entire API. "They even make a joke of it," he says,
"calling everything and it's uncle a pfObject! If that's not blatant
pilfering, I don't know what is."
Legal representatives from SGI responded with an usual move. Rather
than fight the accusation in court, the SGI legal team responded with
an offer to buy the company. "That's how we do business," an anonymous
SGI spokesman commented.
Still, Pfister founder and majority shareholder, Pfredrick Pfister I, was
hesitant to give out. "Something's pfishy about the deal," he said. It
seems as if the lawsuit will, indeed, go ahead as planned.
No representatives of Silicon Graphic's Performer development team were
officially available for comment. But one developer was overhead to say,
"pF**k 'em!"
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