Microsoft Trademarks Excel

Nearly twenty years after introducing the spreadsheet program Excel, Microsoft registered Excel as a trademark earlier this year.  Though the name is already protected under common law trademark, Microsoft spokeswoman Stacy Drake says, "It doesn't hurt to take it one step further."

The move may have been the first step in the software giant going after infringers.  Microsoft recently sent a letter to TurboExcel developers Savvysoft, demanding the name of their product be changed.  One of TurboExcel's  features allows Excel spreadsheets to be converted to run on the Linux operating system, the open-source rival to Microsoft's  Windows.

LeeAnn Chen, marketing director with Savvysoft, said, "We don't think they're really upset about the trademark.  We suspect the reason Microsoft is picking on us is that they don't like what our product does."

Drake disagreed, saying, "It is always about the trademark... it's about the name."