

"We feel this is a clear infringement of our intellectual-property rights," said Isa Dick Hackett, a daughter of Mr. Dick and the chief executive of Electric Shepherd Productions, an arm of the Dick estate devoted to adapting the late author's works.

"Our legal team is dealing head-on with this," she said Tuesday. An attorney for the estate declined to elaborate on what legal steps it has taken.

Philip K. Dick's novel, 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,' was the basis for the 1982 film 'Blade Runner.' Warner Brothers/Everett Collection

Mr. Dick's 1968 novel, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?," which served as the basis for the 1982 cult film "Blade Runner," follows a bounty hunter chasing androids known as Nexus-6 models.

Ms. Hackett believes Google referenced that work in coming up with the name for its new phone, but the company never called her family or attorneys for permission to license the name.

A Google spokesman declined to comment.

Ms. Hackett argues the association between the phone and the book are cemented by the fact that the Nexus One runs Google's Android operating system.

Google has its "Android system, and now they are naming a phone 'Nexus One,'" she said. "It's not lost on the people who are somewhat familiar with this novel."

Attorneys who specialize in trademark disputes don't see a clear-cut case. One key issue is whether consumers are likely to be confused and think Mr. Dick's estate was associated with Google's phone.

"Will people buying the Google phone hear the Nexus One name and think that is just like in 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'" asked Marc Reiner, a partner at Dorsey & Whitney LLP, who isn't involved in the matter.

Characters like Mickey Mouse and Indiana Jones that have served as bases for products are much more likely to be able to gain trademark protection. "A character in a book does not automatically get trademark protection," Mr. Reiner said.

It also may be more difficult to win a trademark case in regards to a word like nexus, which is used in other contexts apart from the characters in Mr. Dick's novel, said Beth Goldman, a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, who isn't involved in the Google matter.

"Some words are never used for anything except in connection with a particular trademark, like Hershey's," Ms. Goldman said.

That may explain why Verizon Wireless licensed the 'Droid' name from "Star Wars" creator and director George Lucas when it recently launched a Motorola Inc. smart phone with that name.

"We were honored that Verizon chose to name their newest technological venture the DROID smart phone, and we were happy to grant them a license to use the mark," said a spokeswoman for Mr. Lucas's company, Lucasfilm Ltd.

Write to Nathan Koppel at