Hello,
I've got a pending review request for "ubuntu-keyring" (see [1]) where the reviewer correctly pointed out that there may be a trademark issue with the package name containing the word "ubuntu". I've tried contacting Canonical to ask whether we are allowed to use ubuntu in package names, but they have not replied to date (inquiry was sent 10 days ago). This potential trademark issue also affects the package "ubuntu-title-fonts", see [2].
I would like to ask whether anyone here has already dealt with a precedent issue of this kind, and if so how such issues were resolved. Specifically, maybe someone has already approached Canonical for such issues?
Thanks, Sandro
[1] https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1009998 [2] https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1014065
On 10/10/2013 05:51 AM, Sandro Mani wrote:
Hello,
I've got a pending review request for "ubuntu-keyring" (see [1]) where the reviewer correctly pointed out that there may be a trademark issue with the package name containing the word "ubuntu". I've tried contacting Canonical to ask whether we are allowed to use ubuntu in package names, but they have not replied to date (inquiry was sent 10 days ago). This potential trademark issue also affects the package "ubuntu-title-fonts", see [2].
I would like to ask whether anyone here has already dealt with a precedent issue of this kind, and if so how such issues were resolved. Specifically, maybe someone has already approached Canonical for such issues?
Canonical says explicitly not to do this:
(from: http://www.canonical.com/intellectual-property-policy)
You cannot use the Trademarks in software titles. If you are producing software for use with or on Ubuntu you may reference Ubuntu, but must avoid: (i) any implication of endorsement, or (ii) any attempt to unfairly or confusingly capitalise on the goodwill of Canonical or Ubuntu.
Short of explicit permission from Canonical, we should not do this.
~tom
== Fedora Project
On 10.10.2013 16:36, Tom Callaway wrote:
On 10/10/2013 05:51 AM, Sandro Mani wrote:
Hello,
I've got a pending review request for "ubuntu-keyring" (see [1]) where the reviewer correctly pointed out that there may be a trademark issue with the package name containing the word "ubuntu". I've tried contacting Canonical to ask whether we are allowed to use ubuntu in package names, but they have not replied to date (inquiry was sent 10 days ago). This potential trademark issue also affects the package "ubuntu-title-fonts", see [2].
I would like to ask whether anyone here has already dealt with a precedent issue of this kind, and if so how such issues were resolved. Specifically, maybe someone has already approached Canonical for such issues?
Canonical says explicitly not to do this:
(from: http://www.canonical.com/intellectual-property-policy)
You cannot use the Trademarks in software titles. If you are producing software for use with or on Ubuntu you may reference Ubuntu, but must avoid: (i) any implication of endorsement, or (ii) any attempt to unfairly or confusingly capitalise on the goodwill of Canonical or Ubuntu.
Short of explicit permission from Canonical, we should not do this.
Thanks for your reply. I changed the package name to ubu-keyring.
Sandro
On Oct 11, 2013 4:46 PM, "Sandro Mani" manisandro@gmail.com wrote:
On 11.10.2013 08:47, Christopher Meng wrote:
What....
Can we get an exception?
I guess for that to happen, Canonical would need to reply to my inquiry
first.
Sandro
It's better to keep the original name, I think we shouldn't confuse our users.
On 11.10.2013 11:19, Christopher Meng wrote:
On Oct 11, 2013 4:46 PM, "Sandro Mani" <manisandro@gmail.com mailto:manisandro@gmail.com> wrote:
On 11.10.2013 08:47, Christopher Meng wrote:
What....
Can we get an exception?
I guess for that to happen, Canonical would need to reply to my
inquiry first.
Sandro
It's better to keep the original name, I think we shouldn't confuse our users.
Well I'd certainly like to keep the original name (referring here to ubuntu-keyring vs ubu-keyring), but as it stands now I'm not allowed to do so.
Sandro
Le 11/10/2013 11:37, Sandro Mani a écrit :
Well I'd certainly like to keep the original name (referring here to ubuntu-keyring vs ubu-keyring), but as it stands now I'm not allowed to do so.
Sandro
Hi,
I brought that matter to Jono Bacon (Ubuntu Community Manager) attention, he's gonna ask their legal team to follow up. You should receive an answer from Canonical soon.
best regards, H.
On 11.10.2013 19:42, Haïkel Guémar wrote:
Le 11/10/2013 11:37, Sandro Mani a écrit :
Well I'd certainly like to keep the original name (referring here to ubuntu-keyring vs ubu-keyring), but as it stands now I'm not allowed to do so.
Sandro
Hi,
I brought that matter to Jono Bacon (Ubuntu Community Manager) attention, he's gonna ask their legal team to follow up. You should receive an answer from Canonical soon.
Thanks a lot!
Sandro
On 11.10.2013 19:42, Haïkel Guémar wrote:
Le 11/10/2013 11:37, Sandro Mani a écrit :
Well I'd certainly like to keep the original name (referring here to ubuntu-keyring vs ubu-keyring), but as it stands now I'm not allowed to do so.
Sandro
Hi,
I brought that matter to Jono Bacon (Ubuntu Community Manager) attention, he's gonna ask their legal team to follow up. You should receive an answer from Canonical soon.
best regards, H.
Hi Haïkel,
Do you know whether Jono Bacon managed to get in touch with the legal team? So far I have not heard anything from them.
Thanks, Sandro
On Thu, Oct 10, 2013 at 4:36 PM, Tom Callaway tcallawa@redhat.com wrote:
Canonical says explicitly not to do this:
(from: http://www.canonical.com/intellectual-property-policy)
You cannot use the Trademarks in software titles. If you are producing software for use with or on Ubuntu you may reference Ubuntu, but must avoid: (i) any implication of endorsement, or (ii) any attempt to unfairly or confusingly capitalise on the goodwill of Canonical or Ubuntu.
Short of explicit permission from Canonical, we should not do this.
Legal things never cease to amaze me.
I can't really see how naming a package "ubuntu-title-fonts", which is the name upstream (and upstream *is* Ubuntu) chose can be "using Trademark in software titles". We are not even producing software here [1,2], these are just packaging of content, not code.
[1] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuTitle [2] https://launchpad.net/ubuntu-keyring
On 10/11/2013 03:09 AM, Gianluca Sforna wrote:
On Thu, Oct 10, 2013 at 4:36 PM, Tom Callaway tcallawa@redhat.com wrote:
Canonical says explicitly not to do this:
(from: http://www.canonical.com/intellectual-property-policy)
You cannot use the Trademarks in software titles. If you are producing software for use with or on Ubuntu you may reference Ubuntu, but must avoid: (i) any implication of endorsement, or (ii) any attempt to unfairly or confusingly capitalise on the goodwill of Canonical or Ubuntu.
Short of explicit permission from Canonical, we should not do this.
Legal things never cease to amaze me.
I can't really see how naming a package "ubuntu-title-fonts", which is the name upstream (and upstream *is* Ubuntu) chose can be "using Trademark in software titles". We are not even producing software here [1,2], these are just packaging of content, not code.
[1] https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuTitle [2] https://launchpad.net/ubuntu-keyring
Yes, I know, but we're attempting to be good citizens and respect Canonical's trademark policies. It would not take Canonical very long to simply say that anyone may use the "ubuntu-keyring" or "ubuntu-title-fonts" names to describe those software/font components, but they have not done so to date.
~tom
== Fedora Project
Dne 10.10.2013 16:36, Tom Callaway napsal(a):
Canonical says explicitly not to do this:
(from: http://www.canonical.com/intellectual-property-policy)
You cannot use the Trademarks in software titles. If you are producing software for use with or on Ubuntu you may reference Ubuntu, but must avoid: (i) any implication of endorsement, or (ii) any attempt to unfairly or confusingly capitalise on the goodwill of Canonical or Ubuntu.
If you are producing software -> no, we are not, we are redistributing it. Canonical produces it and they chose to name it with this name.
This rule does not contain anything, that forbids us to package it, however, it does not even contain anything, that would explicitly allow us to do so.
(Just my opinion)
Miro Hrončok wrote:
Dne 10.10.2013 16:36, Tom Callaway napsal(a):
Canonical says explicitly not to do this:
(from: http://www.canonical.com/intellectual-property-policy)
You cannot use the Trademarks in software titles. If you are producing software for use with or on Ubuntu you may reference Ubuntu, but must avoid: (i) any implication of endorsement, or (ii) any attempt to unfairly or confusingly capitalise on the goodwill of Canonical or Ubuntu.
If you are producing software -> no, we are not, we are redistributing it. Canonical produces it and they chose to name it with this name.
An RPM spec file is software, and Fedora packagers are producing those. We're not producing software for use with or on Ubuntu though, so that entire sentence is irrelevant to packaging in Fedora, and what remains is simply "You cannot use the Trademarks in software titles."
The question is: Does "software titles" include software titles chosen by Canonical? Apparently Tom thinks it does.
Björn Persson
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1
On 10/11/2013 10:08 AM, Björn Persson wrote:
The question is: Does "software titles" include software titles chosen by Canonical? Apparently Tom thinks it does.
I'm not sure why it doesn't. They're still software titles and their guidelines make no exception for ones chosen by Canonical.
FWIW, I happen to think that the Canonical Trademark Guidelines could stand to be improved significantly, or at the very least, Canonical should be responsive to clarifying questions about them.
~tom
== Fedora Project
-
Björn Persson -
Christopher Meng -
Gianluca Sforna -
Haïkel Guémar -
Miro Hrončok -
Sandro Mani -
Tom Callaway