Nextel Partners sues Sprint and Nextel Communications over loss of brand name

Ruh roh, Raggy, there's trouble a-brewin' with the whole Sprint-Nextel merger. Dig this — there's two flavors of Nextel: Nextel Communications (merging with Sprint) and Nextel Partners (not merging with Sprint, provider of wireless services under the Nextel brand), which is partly owned by Nextel Communications. "Sprint-Nextel" may indeed make a great post-feminist hyphenated marriage, but not so much a lovable brand name — so, as we know, they've been thinking of scrapping the Nextel name except for use with some specific subset of services, opting to use Sprint as the main brand. Nextel Partners has filed suit with the New York Supreme Court, seeking to prevent the Nextel brand name from being completely absorbed by the Borg Sprint in the merger. They say the loss of branding violates agreements between them and Nextel Communications, and that their usage of the Nextel brand in markets where Nextel Communications does not operate is cause for asking the court to order the latter not to make any changes to its brand identity unless Nextel Partners can jump with them at the same time. Awww, isn't that sweet? It's a "wait for us!" suit.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

What the hell does this have to do with gadgets?!

[Julien @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

Nick (#1): Uhm, cellphones are gadgets. And Engadget has been covering gadgets, the market around it and thus also the cellphone market very thoroughly since, like, the dawn of time?

[penk @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

i spit coffee all over my monitor when i scrolled down to this headline.

you really oughta warn a guy.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

Julien (#2) Yes cellphones are gadgets. But this has to do with the business of the company and nothing to do with the gadgets themselves (ie a cellphone).

[eric @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

I guess "Sextel" didn't make it past the brand committee?

[Justin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

Nick, it has everything to do with gadgets, since this has the potential (albeit minor) to prevent new gadgets and network technologies from being deployed. I think you're making us all feel like we're in the Twilight Zone, since Engadget has been covering exactly this kind of news for AGES, why are you complaining NOW?

[BrotherJustin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

Anyone that sells/has Nextel knows that the IDEN technology is not scalable, and is not a good model for long term business. Aside from the few specialty products that Nextel supplies, these guys are dead in the water. Rates are too high and there is no cross platform opportunities.

[penk @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

cripes.

you folk are a bunch of myopic dolts!

do you believe the updates on copyright/patent infringements are extraneous as well? since the "gadgets" they affect don't have a dedicated hardware switch or button to activate the "feature"?

[BrotherJustin @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

Anyone that sells/has Nextel knows that the IDEN technology is not scalable, and is not a good model for long term business. Aside from the few specialty products that Nextel supplies, these guys are dead in the water. Rates are too high and there is no cross platform opportunities.

[Jamaicanbwoydre @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

They shoulda jut named it SEXTEL lke you guys said.

[Joe @ Dec 19th 2005 1:23AM]

What about all that money Nextel forked over to Nascar for the "Nextel Cup Series?" I'm not a huge Nascar fan but I think Nextel forked over a billion or so dollars to the rights for the Nextel Cup Series for some thing like ten years. This alone will probably prevent the whole name change from happening.

[World Business for sale @ Dec 26th 2005 1:50PM]

There are plenty of resources to learn to make brand progress.

Often times the issue is that many small business owners are wearing too many hats;

We would be honored if we could be added to this business blogger. We are from the World Business for sale is the leading independent businesses for sale listing service http://www.worldbusinessforsale.com/
There are plenty of resources to learn to make brand progress.

Often times the issue is that many small business owners are wearing too many hats;

We would be honored if we could be added to this business blogger. We are from the World Business for sale is the leading independent businesses for sale listing service http://www.worldbusinessforsale.com/