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Best Buy Sends NewEgg Cease & Desist Letter For Using The Term ‘Geek’

June 9, 2011 Featured, Media 13 Comments

Put me down under the column of “Hates Best Buy’s Geek Squad”. They are one of the reasons I’ve done a lot of freelance tech support over the years. Where am I going to send somebody that needs some help with their computer? Geek Squad who charge $89 for installing RAM? I don’t think so. I’ll do that for a fraction of the price.

They also have their ridiculous high prices for installing a PS3 at $130.

Here’s another reason to dislike Best Buy and the Geek Squad. They want to extend their trademark of Geek Squad to include the term Geek, saying NewEgg can’t use it in their recent campaign with the phrase “Geek On” and “Take It From A Geek”.

This afternoon, NewEgg posted the Cease and Desist letter that they received to their Facebook Page:

Here’s the commercial in question:

While the commercial is clearly making fun of Best Buy, the term Geek On doesn’t mention or bash “Geek Squad” at all. In fact, it seems like NewEgg is trying to differentiate themselves for customers, not mislead them.

One for the courts to decide…


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  • burnabite

    Why doesn’t Best Buy trademark the word “the” or “and”

    Those idiots should tie an Ethernet cable around their necks and jump off a pile of empty mountain dew bottles.

  • amer

    What is Best Buy going to do about ThinkGeek???? ID10Tz.

  • Bro

    Why don’t they just use G33k instead :P

  • Beem

    The article’s title is misleading. If you read the letter carefully, it is largely concerned about the similarities between the power-button logo, the color scheme, and font used in the campaign, along with the alleged negative portrayal of Best Buy’s Geek Squad employees and their lack of tech support knowledge. It’s only half a sentence where it mentioned the “GEEK” term being used; Jason just exaggerated that part in the title.

  • yep

    If a suit did occur, it would never hold up in court. Even if GeekSquad is a trademark, the term Geek is way too general for Best Buy to actually win a suit on. Most likely a scare tactic more than anything else.

  • BZ

    You cannot trademark or copywrite a generic word. Microsoft failed with their dozens of lawyers to do it with “Windows”. If I was a lawyers for Newegg I would send a letter to Best Buy and tell them to stick their claim where the sun don’t shine.

  • Ryan

    Trademarks can be restricted to certain industry usage (see Apple Computer vs Apple Corp… Apple Computer has a trademark on the word “Apple” when it comes to computers, computer software, computer peripherals, etc.

    Best Buy is definitely being crappy, but that doesn’t mean that this case will just be tossed out — Newegg and their lawyers will have to defend themselves in a serious manner.

  • Craig

    As Beem had said, the letter is concerned with the combination of the term Geek, the power sign and the orange all combined. However the term Geek and the power sign are both open, and if the Orange they are using is different from the trademarked orange I don’t know if this would actually win. But I have no experience in laws or trademarks so I could just be BSing like everyone else.

  • Paul

    @Beem
    I’m not sure how you came to a different conclusion. The part that matters is what Best Buy is demanding from NewEgg.

    “1. Promptly and Permanently cease all use of the Geek On Logo and any other mark combining the word “GEEK” with an orange color scheme or a power button design”

    So yeah, Best Buy is totally being pricks. The orange color is the same color that New Egg has been using for years. Also, the geek font is completely different. Lastly, everyone uses that on button.

    I’m buying a New Egg shirt just to wear to one of their stores! Anyone up for a flash mob?

  • Crikey

    LOL BestBuy. The work geek and the power sign are open. If it’s the orange they have a problem with they should’ve included the copyrighted orange pantone in the complaint, if there is one.

    Sounds like the ‘negative portrayal’ of BB empl’s is what the ‘copyright infringement’ is really about. Or they just thought we needed that extra emotional content. What goofballs.

  • ladyvader401

    Fuck Best Buy! Newegg is 10 times the company they are.

  • Michael

    There is no way they can hope to pursue this litigation. The prior examples of the use of ‘geek’ in technology go way back before ‘geek squad’. Shame on you, Best Buy!

  • Thomas

    I can’t believe all the ranting and raving in this article.. Some of you need to grow up and calm down.

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