linux-kernel - Re: Need to pay to use the word "Linux" in commercial products/services!

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Message-ID: <20081125225708.6399ba14@lxorguk.ukuu.org.uk>
Date:	Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:57:08 +0000
From:	Alan Cox <alan@...rguk.ukuu.org.uk>
To:	andy <rootstrap@...glemail.com>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Need to pay to use the word "Linux" in commercial
 products/services!

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:39:27 +0000
andy <rootstrap@...glemail.com> wrote:

> Hi
> 
> I found it a bit strange that the word "Linux" has to be licensed!
> The "word" is protected under GPL v2, as it is appear first in 1991
> in GPL code.  Trademarks and Patents are not allowed in GPL!
> The registration of the name at later point of time, and now the
> licensing terms are very confusing to me, could someone help
> me to understand better please?

The GPL protects copyrights not trademarks. The Linux trademarking is an
interesting question and I know a lot of companies take the view that the
mark is unenforcable. On the other hand it stops abuse of the name for
other unrelated software.

A lot of others of course simply omit the 'Linux' from official names of
commercial projects ;) and I've not seen any attempt to charge licensing
fees to anyone else.

Alan
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