Just got this from an Armagetron dev. I'll check out the forum. Tom, would you be able to contribute a short post on the trademark issues to the forum?
---------------------------- Original Message ---------------------------- Subject: Re: Fedora, trademarks, etc. From: "Fred" guru3@users.sourceforge.net Date: Wed, August 8, 2007 11:16 am To: "Jon Ciesla" limb@jcomserv.net Cc: zman@users.sourceforge.net --------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Jon. I've talked with other members of the project, and no one is especially opposed to a rebranded version of Armagetron Advanced appearing in Fedora. However, some people have expressed interest in exactly what part of the name has trademark issue. (After all that could affect us one day.)
As for a new name, to be honest, no one was especially thrilled with the name "WeasleCycles", because that sort of gives you an image of there at least being some weasles somewhere, possibly on bicycles. Which if as a patch to AA was something you had the manpower to do, wouldn't be too bad.
That aside, the name ideas we've had have all be trying to hold onto some part of our original name. "Cycletron" after an early particle accelerator. "Armacycles" or "Cycles Armageddon" are some other ideas we've had.
Most of our project communication occurs on our forums, and I've started a thread (http://forums.armagetronad.net/viewtopic.php?t=17869) there about other names. Feel free to participate there, and also if you decide to rebrand and anything comes up, post away. A post or two on what's been done to create the package wouldn't go astray either, as no one's done an RPM in ages.
Fred
On Thu, 2 Aug 2007, Jon Ciesla wrote:
Hi. My name is Jon, and I'm a Fedora Maintainer.
I'm looking into the possibility of getting ArmagetronAD into Fedora. The only blocker is the name, as Red Hat legal says it's a potential trademark infringement (RH's position, not mine). I've been given the green light to go ahead with packaging it in such a way that the name is changed throughout, a total rebranding if you will, but otherwise no modifications.
I have a few ideas for a rebranded name, but I was wondering if you had any suggestions/preferences/etc. I was thinking WeaselCycles, in homage to the ridiculous Debian/Firefox/Iceweasel situation.
Let me know.
Thank you!
Jon Ciesla
-- novus ordo absurdum
On Wed, 2007-08-08 at 11:04 -0500, Jon Ciesla wrote:
Just got this from an Armagetron dev. I'll check out the forum. Tom, would you be able to contribute a short post on the trademark issues to the forum?
I don't really want to register on a new forum, just to post one comment, so feel free to copy and post what I'm about to say:
The issue here is the "TRON" trademark, which is held by Disney. Fedora's legal counsel has advised us that having a "TRON" videogame which uses the trademark to describe itself is almost certainly trademark infringement. Since Fedora doesn't want to expose itself to unnecessary legal risk, we cannot include Armagetron as is. This policy applies to all trademarks used in software, not just this case.
Perhaps "LightCycles" would be a better name than WeaselCycles, but anything without "TRON" in it will probably be fine.
~spot
On Wed, 2007-08-08 at 11:04 -0500, Jon Ciesla wrote:
Just got this from an Armagetron dev. I'll check out the forum. Tom, would you be able to contribute a short post on the trademark issues to the forum?
I don't really want to register on a new forum, just to post one comment, so feel free to copy and post what I'm about to say:
The issue here is the "TRON" trademark, which is held by Disney. Fedora's legal counsel has advised us that having a "TRON" videogame which uses the trademark to describe itself is almost certainly trademark infringement. Since Fedora doesn't want to expose itself to unnecessary legal risk, we cannot include Armagetron as is. This policy applies to all trademarks used in software, not just this case.
Perhaps "LightCycles" would be a better name than WeaselCycles, but anything without "TRON" in it will probably be fine.
Thanks much. Posted. I'll wait for your thoughts on the SRPM, and the forum's response to the name issue. Very easy to change, as it stands.
~spot
The issue here is the "TRON" trademark, which is held by Disney. Fedora's legal counsel has advised us that having a "TRON" videogame which uses the trademark to describe itself is almost certainly trademark infringement. Since Fedora doesn't want to expose itself to unnecessary legal risk, we cannot include Armagetron as is. This policy applies to all trademarks used in software, not just this case.
Is it possible to contact Disney and ask permission to use the trademark? Afterall, it seems like free advertising for them.
Luis Marengo wrote:
The issue here is the "TRON" trademark, which is held by Disney. Fedora's legal counsel has advised us that having a "TRON" videogame which uses the trademark to describe itself is almost certainly trademark infringement. Since Fedora doesn't want to expose itself to unnecessary legal risk, we cannot include Armagetron as is. This policy applies to all trademarks used in software, not just this case.
Is it possible to contact Disney and ask permission to use the trademark? Afterall, it seems like free advertising for them.
Please contact upstream before doing this, they may not like you drawing Disney's attention to this issue.
Regards,
Hans
Luis Marengo wrote:
The issue here is the "TRON" trademark, which is held by Disney. Fedora's legal counsel has advised us that having a "TRON" videogame which uses the trademark to describe itself is almost certainly trademark infringement. Since Fedora doesn't want to expose itself to unnecessary legal risk, we cannot include Armagetron as is. This policy applies to all trademarks used in software, not just this case.
Is it possible to contact Disney and ask permission to use the trademark? Afterall, it seems like free advertising for them.
Please contact upstream before doing this, they may not like you drawing Disney's attention to this issue.
I would even go so far as to say that it is upstream's place to do so, not ours. We can alter the name for redistribution. If they get clearance from Disney, then we can follow suit, but I agree with Hans, let's not poke the wasp's nest, otherwise the bone of contention may come back to roost with a veritable plethora of consequences, including unnecessary cliches and metaphors.
Sorry, no caffeine yet today. :)
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