Timothy Leary Invented the Rumor That William Gibson Trademarked Eric Gullichsen
William Gibson and the trademarking of cyberspace
In 1989, Autodesk applied to trademark "cyberspace" while developing early VR. William Gibson objected through his lawyers, but the story that Gibson retaliated by trademarking "Eric Gullichsen" was a prank by Timothy Leary that spread until it became accepted history. The author, then at Autodesk, later met Gibson at Art Futura 1990 in Barcelona, where they settled the matter over cava and tapas.
He opined in a laconic drawl that although the street finds its own use for things "Autodesk is not the street".