Was Microsoft Corp so ignorant that it didn’t even have an inkling that Minnesota Mining & Manufacturing Co might own the name Post-it Notes or was it just trying it on, believing that 3M was such a pussycat that it would simply roll over and let the mighty Microsoft get away with purloining the name? The St Paul, Minnesota company has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft, accusing it of trade mark infringement for creating an electronic version of Post-it Notes in the new Office 97 suite. From the suit, it sounds as if Microsoft believes it is free to steal whatever it wants without let or hindrance, because 3M says users can access the notes feature by entering ‘Post-It’ or ‘3M Post-it,’ and that it has not approved the Microsoft product and is not connected with it. Microsoft says it has had general discussions with 3M about the product, and, with barefaced cheek, and added to Associated Press We don’t believe we are infringing on their trademark.
