What it had to solve
Pick a trademarkable name ahead of a worldwide retail launch, and set aside the Eve name, which was shared with other well-known companies.
The idea
Drop the name Eve for Dough, chosen because it was available to trademark, with the flagship monitor now the Dough Spectrum.
How it works
Eve announced the change to Dough. The message said the company needed a name it could trademark, that EVE was not usable, and that DOUGH was available. It also said it wanted something more passionate yet mature.
What it did
The Verge's Sean Hollister mocked the choice and speculated that the rename might also escape poor search results about the old company. No sales or customer impact is reported.
Background
In July 2022 The Verge reported that Eve, maker of the well-reviewed but pricey Spectrum monitor and earlier of the disastrously crowdfunded Eve V tablet, was changing its name to Dough. That would make its flagship the Dough Spectrum.
Dough's own explanation, relayed via Liliputing, was that it was entering retail globally that year, to cut shipping times and make its products widely accessible. To protect the brand legally it needed a trademarkable name, it could not use EVE, and DOUGH was available. It added it was looking for something more passionate yet mature.
The Verge gave the trademark reason the benefit of the doubt, noting other famous Eves, such as a smart home company and an MMO. It also suspected the company might be trying to escape poor search results: some of the highest-ranking results for the company included an Engadget investigation about struggling to repay jilted customers and a piece asking whether the Spectrum was a scam, and a Google card showed a one-star review.
The Verge put the rename alongside earlier 'delightfully shameful' rebrands such as WeWork's The We Company and Voltswagen.
Why it lands
A global retail launch needs a name that can be trademarked everywhere, and a common first name such as Eve was already taken by other businesses.
Naming for availability, not meaning, gave critics an easy joke and no brand story to answer it with.
A rename can also be read as an attempt to leave a bad reputation behind, which the Verge raised as a possibility.
What you can take
Choosing a name because it is available solves the legal problem but gives the market nothing to remember, and critics will fill the gap with jokes.
Since then
The Verge piece reports no sales or customer outcome. It records that Dough's flagship would be called the Dough Spectrum and that the rename was already being ridiculed.
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