In December 2003, NMS Communications released a product called "Open Access". At the bottom of the press release, the company said that "NMS Communications, Open Access, and PacketMedia are trademarks of NMS Communications Corporation." The NMS web page on Open Access repeats the trademark claim and describes OA as a "comprehensive product framework for creating next-generation voice, data, and video applications and services."
(PS: I've been collecting links to companies that use the phrase "open access" for products that are not OA in our sense. I'd be happy to share them sometime. I've always thought that our success will give them headaches, as consumers ask why their OA products aren't free of charge. If NMS faces this problem down the road, it will be its own fault for choosing a name to which we had long since given a specific and different meaning. But NMS is the first company I've seen to claim a trademark on the phrase. I plan to continue using it as I have in the past, and will keep you posted on whether I hear from NMS lawyers.)
Posted by
Peter Suber at 4/05/2004 11:47:00 PM.
The open access movement:
Putting peer-reviewed scientific and scholarly literature
on the internet. Making it available free of charge and
free of most copyright and licensing restrictions.
Removing the barriers to serious research.
I recommend the OA tracking project (OATP) as the best way to stay on top of new OA developments. You can read the OATP feed on a blog-like web page or subscribe to it by RSS, email, or Twitter. You can also help build the feed by tagging new developments you encounter.
