[hobbit] "Hobbit" name legal stuff; slight name change will happen

[Everett, Vernon]

Hi all

Corporations spend millions of dollars every year, just researching
product and brand names.
The process of coming up with a name is huge business, and can make or
break a product.

Can anybody remember the Chev Nova?
Great name. Nova - star explosion!
Wow! What an impact!
It actually sold well, but when Chev introduced it into Argentina, where
the speak Spanish, they had to rename it.
For the non-Spanish speakers out there, "No va" means "Doesn't go".
(I think it sold under the name "Malibu" or something like that.)

Beside the fact that it was a crap product, who can guess how many
Microsoft Zunes sold in Israel?
The word Zune, in Hebrew, means, erm, how shall I put this.... A vulgar
term for fornicate.
Guess how many of them sold there.

Mitsubish Pajero? 
In Spanish, Pajero means, erm.... , man gratifying himself sexually.
That should get major corporate acceptance. :-)
(It was renamed to Montero (mountain hunter) in Spanish speaking
countries)

I am not suggesting we spend millions on branding, we don't have
millions, but we need to consider many aspects of a name.
Some of the things to think about
- Corporate acceptance
- Associated meanings
- Meaning in different languages
- Meaning of minor spelling changes
- Legal and copyright issues
- Domain availability
I am sure there are more issues, but it's early on a Saturday morning,
and I haven't had my coffee yet.

Cheers
    Vernon

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