Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by awb 1621 days ago
Clover is a pretty well-used name. When searching for “Clover” on Google:

https://www.clover.com/

https://www.cloverfoodlab.com/

https://www.clover.co/

https://www.cloverhealth.com/

When I hear “Clover”, I think payment processing and health care. Apparently it’s also a dating app and a food service.

In a crowded namespace you might want to consider using a descriptive term like “Clover Notes” in your branding so people can find you better and mentally separate you from the other Clover companies out there.

Also, when I hear “Surface”, I think of the Microsoft laptop. They position “Surface” as a tool for creativity, productivity, efficiency, etc., much like you do. Are you sure you’re in the clear to use that term?

“Use Surface as a whiteboard for better brainstorming, enhanced memory, intuitive organization, and workflows you simply can’t do elsewhere”, seems like a statement that would easily apply to the Surface laptop.

3 comments

https://clover.finance/ launched in 2021
Yes. Clover is a widely used name and we _are_ exploring ways to differentiate that to help our findability. I like the “Clover Notes” suggestion!
You can’t really trademark Surface since it’s a generic word that describes the thing that it is, but Microsoft lawyers could probably make you regret testing that.
Check this out: https://secureyourtrademark.com/can-you-trademark/common-wor...

Apple got a trademark because it’s not used to trademark fruit, it’s used to trademark technology.

Same here, “Surface” isn’t being used to describe a physical surface, it’s being used in both cases to describe technology that facilitates collaboration, creativity, productivity, etc.

Imagine this out of context: “Log into Surface and enhance your creativity by collaborating live with others on your team through brainstorming, organizing and improving workflows.”

In pretty detailed terms you could describe both the Microsoft Surface and the Clover Surface products. Even if one is a physical product and the other digital, it’s very confusing.

I don’t think Microsoft trademarked it, but it’s still a little too close for my comfort as well as like you said there’s no telling what the Microsoft lawyers will argue if motivated enough.

That’s why I think that Microsoft could make it a painful experience but in general, both products do describe surfaces. The hardware is a physical surface and Clover has a virtual surface.