Intel Goes Into Hyperdrive on Trademark Enforcement

Barry Hood is upset -- and kind of shocked. That's because Intel, the world's biggest semiconductor company, had its lawyers hit his one-man business, Intellelectric, with a 108-page trademark-infringement lawsuit. "I'm not very happy about this," the Southern California electrician said this week. "For what are they bothering me? I don't understand." The suit is particularly galling to Hood because the name Intellelectric -- a combination of the words "intelligent" and "electric" -- was suggested six years ago by his son, Jake, who has since died in a car crash. Trademark enforcement is not unusual for companies with famous marks like Intel. But the number of suits sets the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company apart. So far this year, it has sued 15 companies like Intellelectric with the word "intel" in their name in federal... [read full story]