4 ms·

If a project name was trademarked, you might be able to get them for trading on that name, maybe?

by iolsantr 12y ago

brador 12y ago
Can you trademark open source project names?
- JohnTHaller 12y ago
  Absolutely. Mozilla, Firefox, OpenOffice, Apache, Debian, etc are all registered trademarks and can not be used by others without permission.
  - natch 12y ago
    And most famously Linux: http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:88wh2t.2.232 http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:88w...
- pmh 12y ago
  I think so, yes. See Iceweasel[0], the custom Debian build of Firefox. I'm not sure that you'd be successful in using trademark law in this particular scenario though. [0]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Corporation_software_rebranded_by_the_Debian_project#Iceweasel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Corporation_software_re...
- donaldr3 12y ago
  Yes, in fact GPLv3 specifically deals with trademarks in section 7e).
- chx 12y ago
  Hell yeah. Drupal trademark policy http://drupal.com/trademark http://drupal.com/trademark Apache trademark policy http://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/ http://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/ Eclipse trademark policy https://www.eclipse.org/legal/logo_guidelines.php https://www.eclipse.org/legal/logo_guidelines.php KDE® and the K Desktop Environment® logo are registered trademarks of KDE e.V. can't find the policy right now.
apendleton 12y ago
Maybe, but if they make it clear that they're not sponsored or endorsed by the project in question, it'd probably be considered nominative fair use, at least in the US: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_use
- iolsantr 12y ago
  They are soliciting donations using the project name. I don't think that falls into nominative use. It'd be really weird if I could use the logo of the Salvation Army to solicit donations for my own organization even if I intended to give some of the donated money to them.

If a project name was trademarked, you might be able to get them for trading on that name, maybe?

brador 12y ago

Can you trademark open source project names?

JohnTHaller 12y ago
Absolutely. Mozilla, Firefox, OpenOffice, Apache, Debian, etc are all registered trademarks and can not be used by others without permission.
- natch 12y ago
  And most famously Linux: http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:88wh2t.2.232 http://tmsearch.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4807:88w...
pmh 12y ago
I think so, yes. See Iceweasel[0], the custom Debian build of Firefox. I'm not sure that you'd be successful in using trademark law in this particular scenario though. [0]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Corporation_software_rebranded_by_the_Debian_project#Iceweasel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozilla_Corporation_software_re...
donaldr3 12y ago
Yes, in fact GPLv3 specifically deals with trademarks in section 7e).
chx 12y ago
Hell yeah. Drupal trademark policy http://drupal.com/trademark http://drupal.com/trademark Apache trademark policy http://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/ http://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/ Eclipse trademark policy https://www.eclipse.org/legal/logo_guidelines.php https://www.eclipse.org/legal/logo_guidelines.php KDE® and the K Desktop Environment® logo are registered trademarks of KDE e.V. can't find the policy right now.

apendleton 12y ago

Maybe, but if they make it clear that they're not sponsored or endorsed by the project in question, it'd probably be considered nominative fair use, at least in the US: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_use http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nominative_use

iolsantr 12y ago
They are soliciting donations using the project name. I don't think that falls into nominative use. It'd be really weird if I could use the logo of the Salvation Army to solicit donations for my own organization even if I intended to give some of the donated money to them.