The name was trademarked in 1962. Houston-based Compaq argued in court papers that the society suffered no damages from the advertising campaign. Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton was among the VIPs who donned silver-colored protective coats and watched the bell's massive mold being poured at the Atlantic Foundry in the city of Nantes in western France. The foundry, which usually casts propellers for ships and submarines, used three ovens to heat the bronze. The mold itself was created by the Paccard Foundry, a bell-manufacturer in the eastern French town of Annecy.
Organizers claim it is the largest free-swinging bell in the world.
At 33 tons, it is six tons heavier than the last record-breaking bell, made in Cologne, Germany, in the 1920s, officials said.