John McAfee settles lawsuit with Intel over use of his name

John McAfee, founder of the eponymous antivirus software, has settled a lawsuit over the use of his name with Intel. McAfee will not use its name in connection with any security products.

John McAfee sued Intel for the right to change the name of his investment firm MGT Capital Investments to John McAfee Global Technologies. Intel then warned him that using his name would violate trademark rights. McAfee sued Intel, after which Intel also started a lawsuit and demanded compensation.

Both parties have reached an agreement out of court, which means that the lawsuit is off the table. Reuters reports that. McAfee agrees not to use its name for any security-related services or products. He will also not use the name John McAfee Privacy Phone. That should have been the name of a secure phone that his company announced in April. Under the settlement, McAfee may use its name in other contexts, including in advertisements and presentations.

The case between McAfee and Intel has been going on since late last year, when Intel sold its majority stake in Intel Security. That business unit was created after the acquisition of McAfee in 2010, at the time Intel paid $ 7.7 billion for the antivirus maker. Since April this year, former Intel Security has been independently active again under the name McAfee, but John McAfee is not involved.