In the grand tradition of Apple and Motorola, Canon is now asking that CanonRumors.com, a site dedicated to little but Canon rumors, stop using the domain name and the Canon logo. These things never end well – usually they just gank the domain – and Craig at CR is taking it pretty well.
Understandably I have to get rid of the Canon Logo at the top, which is fine. I also have to get rid of the domain name with the word “canon” in it. That’s OK too. So people, you can start emailing me new ideas for a domain name. I have 10 days to comply. It can’t infringe on Canon’s trademark.
My biggest issue with these sorts of C&Ds is that they strike right to the heart of an enthusiast community and enemies out of the same marketers think they are targeting i.e. the “thought leaders.” The average Joe could give two lumps about the new Canon 5D or a rumor about a mini-PC (aka the Mac Mini, the PC that killed ThinkSecret). Heck, Canon is lucky if people even think of then when it comes to point and shoot cameras. A little buzz and excitement can go a long way to building a brand – just ask Zune – but this simply encourages rancor. Here’s hoping Canon can convince the HQ in Japan to pull back on this C&D. I’d hate Craig to have to switch to Nikon.