Via his blog, Russell McOrmand just alerted me to another Unlocked Media, a brand new brand created by Neuros technology to denote devices that create files in an open format, i.e. open standard formats, and DRM-Free. As they state in their press release:
Years ago, the Electronic Frontier Foundation came up with an idea to brand "DRM free" products. Now that we're selling recording devices like the Neuros OSD "DRM Free" isn't just a political statement, but a real consumer benefit: such files are compatible with virtually everything, any PC, Windows, Linux or Mac, and virtually any handheld, from iPods and iPhones to Sony PSPs and smartphones of all flavors. Suddenly the idea of branding those "unlocked" files started to make perfect sense. So we decided to create the "Unlocked Media" trademark and logo. The idea is pretty simple, we define "unlocked" in a way that isn't company or product specific, but rather stands for open, standard files, and allow anyone selling or creating unlocked files to use it. Then, of course each time the mark is used in conjunction with a product or store, it reinforces that meaning. Ultimately, over time, the hope is that consumers come to associate the 'unlocked' mark with compatibility and versatility, and to make a distinction that will shame all the DRM vendors
Pretty cool... check it out: Neuros Technology Creates Unlocked Media Trademark to Promote DRM Free Media. (note the use of Drupal :-)
There's a bit of irony that it's an anti-DRM trademark, i.e. a form of intellectual property, but such contradictions are inevitable... i think. I've barely had a chance to read about it, but i will hopefully post again soon with more reflections on their consumer-oriented approach, how how their brand name affects might end up affecting the name of my fledgling business.