Synopsis
Autodesk wants the Trademark Trial and Appeals Board to cancel the "OPENDWG" trademark currently registered to the Open Design Alliance (there are actually six different registrations being contested, all for the same mark).
Introduction
The January 18, 2007 filing date of this petition indicates that it was initiated just as the trademark infringement lawsuit was getting underway, and before a settlement had been reached. The original petition is here: http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/v?pno=92047002&pty=CAN&eno=1. After an extension of time was granted, Open Design Alliance (ODA) answered the petition on June 11, 2007 (see http://ttabvue.uspto.gov/ttabvue/ttabvue-92047002-CAN-11.pdf) denying any infringement and requesting that the petition be dismissed for several reasons.
This petition is apparently part of an Autodesk effort to trademark "DWG" (see commentary by Evan Yares), presumably because Autodesk competitors have increasingly used "DWG" in various forms for their own software product names, and in marketing campaigns aimed at Autodesk customers. Many cosnider this petition groundless given how, with time and usage, "DWG" has become a generic term, albeit primarily used to refer to Autodesk's proprietary drawing file format.