Cyberathlete

Cyberathlete: A term coined by gaming entrepreneur Angel Munoz in June 1997 to convey his vision of a new breed of athletes engaged in professional videogame competitions. The new sport that since emerged around this concept is commonly referred to as Electronic Sports.

Etymology

In this case "cyber" was derived from cyberspace. The science fiction author William Gibson coined the term cyberspace when he sought a name to describe a global computer network linking all people, machines and sources of information in the world, through which one could navigate as a virtual landscape. The word athlete derives from the Latin ãthletã and the Greek athlêtês, which mean "competitor" or "contestant for a prize." Therefore the term cyberathlete is generally associated with the concept of competitors in a virtual landscape.

Legal Status

Cyberathlete®, is a registered trademark (Reg. No. 2,407,453) of NewWorld.com, Inc., the former parent company of the Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL). On December 7, 1999 NewWorld.com, Inc. filed suit against Electronic Arts, Inc. in civil action 3:99-CV2766-J in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, Dallas Division, asserting claims of federal and common law trademark infringement with regards to the unauthorized use of the trademark Cyberathlete.. On March 8, 2000, the law firm of Strasburger & Price, L.L.P., representing NewWorld.com, Inc., announced that the parties had worked together to resolve the matter, and entered into a settlement agreement..