Tech Giants Can't Stop Fighting Over Two-Letter Words: The Trademark Wars of 2026
NotionRemember When Product Names Were Actually Creative?
OpenAI just abandoned the "io" branding for its AI hardware device that won't even ship until 2027. Meanwhile, Autodesk is suing Google because apparently both companies think they invented the word "Flow."
Welcome to 2026, where tech giants spend more time in courtrooms fighting over generic terms than actually innovating.
The Autodesk vs. Google Showdown Nobody Asked For
Here's the drama: Google launched an AI video generator called Flow in May 2025. Autodesk, which introduced its own "Flow" filmmaking tools back in 2022, is big mad about it.
The lawsuit claims Google's naming will "confuse customers." But let's be real—if your customers can't tell the difference between Autodesk's 3D design software and Google's AI video maker, branding confusion isn't your biggest problem.
Hot take: When you trademark a word that's been in the English language for centuries, you don't get to act surprised when someone else uses it.
OpenAI's "io" Problem
Meanwhile, OpenAI quietly dropped its "io" branding for upcoming AI hardware. A court filing revealed they won't use the name—probably because someone else already claimed it, or they realized releasing a product in 2027 with a name you chose in 2024 is a recipe for irrelevance.
Three years is an eternity in tech. That's like naming your startup after a TikTok trend and hoping it's still cool when you launch.
TECH NAMING STRATEGY 2026:
- Pick generic dictionary word
- Add "AI" or make it lowercase
- Trademark it aggressively
- Sue everyone else
- Wonder why nobody likes you
While They Fight, Others Actually Ship
You know who's winning right now? Spotify, which just hit 751M monthly users by doing something radical: giving users features they actually want.
Wrapped went viral again, and new free-tier features drove massive growth. No lawsuits. No trademark battles. Just good product execution.
Imagine that.
Google's Actually Useful Move
In genuinely helpful news, Google now lets you remove your driver's license, passport, and Social Security number from search results. The "results about you" tool expansion is a real step toward helping people control their digital footprint.
This is what Big Tech should be doing more of—solving actual problems instead of fighting over who gets to use the word "Flow."
Microsoft's Big Bet on Superconductors
While others argue over names, Microsoft is exploring high-temperature superconductors for data centers. Materials that allow electricity to flow with zero resistance could revolutionize how we power AI infrastructure.
Now that's innovation worth talking about. Not who gets to monopolize two-syllable words.
PRIORITIES:
❌ Suing over generic words
❌ Trademarking the alphabet
❌ Fighting for three years over "io"
✓ Building better products
✓ Solving real problems
✓ Actually shipping things
The Real Cost of Trademark Theater
Every hour lawyers spend arguing about whether "Flow" is confusing is an hour engineers could spend building something that matters. Every dollar spent on trademark litigation is a dollar not invested in R&D.
The tech industry's obsession with owning common language is getting out of hand. We've gone from "Don't be evil" to "Don't use any word we might have used first."
The Bottom Line
Tech companies: You're not protecting your brand by suing over generic terms. You're protecting your brand by building products so good that nobody confuses you with anyone else.
Apple doesn't sue every fruit company. Amazon doesn't go after every rainforest charity. They built such strong brands that the association is automatic.
Maybe instead of fighting over "Flow," focus on making your product flow better than the competition?
Prediction: By 2027, we'll see at least five more lawsuits over single-syllable product names. And consumers still won't care who had it first—only who executed it better.
What's your take—are these trademark battles protecting innovation or stifling it?