Date   : Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:06:22 +0200
From   : anders.carlsson@... (Anders Carlsson)
Subject: A new Element 14

Pete Turnbull wrote:

> Nope, in most of Europe "BBC" belongs (or used to, at least until 1996)
> to Brown Boveri et Cie, now renamed ABB.  The British Broadcasting
> Corporation have never owned European rights to the initials.

I can only speak for myself, but I think the British Broadcasting 
Corporation internationally has and still is more famous than e.g. Brown 
Boveri. Prior to the merge between ASEA and Brown Boveri, I had never heard 
about the Swiss company. I would assume most employees at ASEA had neither.

However who has the rights to something and who is best known for something 
are two different things, in particular when it comes to so relatively 
trivial things as names and acronyms.

As a side note, I believe there were a few early IBM PC compatibles 
rebranded as ASEA Skandia, but they were mostly for internal use. That brand 
is better known for electrical stoves, refridgerators etc.

Best regards

-- 
Anders Carlsson