John McAfee, known for the anti-virus software bearing his surname, has finally settled the legal action with technology giant ‘Intel’ over the commercial use of his name.
Last year, John McAfee sued Intel over the right to use his name for commercial purposes, six years after he sold his anti-virus company to the chip-maker. In 2010, Intel bought Mr. McAfee’s former company, McAfee Associates, for $7.7 billion, when the mobile device era was still in its infancy. Although Intel owns the McAfee trademark, it no longer develops antivirus software under that name.
John McAfee wanted to rename his current company MGT Capital Investments to “John McAfee Global Technologies”. However, Intel also filed a counter case against renaming his current company, arguing it as trademark infringements and unfair competition.
The legal action has now been settled after U.S. District Judge Paul Oetken has dismissed the McAfee’s 2016 lawsuit and a countersuit filed by Intel on Wednesday, five days after a settlement agreement was signed.
The two parties have settled upon a mutual agreement which allows John Mcafee to use his name for advertising, promotions, and presentations. However, he can’t link his name to any product or service related to cyber security and security. This means he won’t trademark the phrases “John McAfee Privacy Phone” or “John McAfee Captial Investments” or “John McAfee Global Technologies.”
