86'ed: Why Intel Couldn't Trademark Numbers Anymore

[FlyingPenguin]

Why did Intel move away from naming its widely used microprocessors after numbers—you know, like the 286 and the 386? They were perfectly succinct, along with easy to remember—what’s not to like? As it turns out, Intel was very much into the idea of using these numbers, and really wanted to stick with it. But legal and trademark-related problems got in the way. The same spirit of reverse-engineering innovation that gave Intel its longtime advantage in the world of desktop computers ultimately cost it the right to hold onto its numbers.

http://tedium.co/2017/05/18/intel-386-4 ... k-battles/