Hewlett-Packard's decision to <A HREF="http://news.zdnet.com/2100-3513_22-6145932.html?tag=nl.r23660">drop the OpenView and Mercury brand names</A> is part of efforts to build the brand equity of HP Software, says a company official. During HP's Software Universe event earlier this month in Vienna, Austria, company officials confirmed plans to replace the Mercury and OpenView brands with the HP Software sticker.