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SSC Trademark Threats vs LinuxGazette.net
Zelligar writes "You may want to check into the brewing trademark issues between SSC/linuxgazette.com and the linuxgazette.net people - linuxgazette is a volunteer gazette, hosted by SSC for a while, and now SSC is taking it over - and threatening trademark litigation to boot!
Here is one story and another on the subject."
Correct me if I'm wrong:
.. what if SCO started using something like "L1nux" for their new OS eh? :P
Summary:
1. Things changed at linuxgazette.com
2. Some contributers didn't like it (neither do I), and started their own site.
3. They were bright enough to use linuxgazette.net (of all places) for their new site. (even stealing the logo design)
4. linuxgazette.com doesn't like it, and tells linuxgazette.net to start their own site if they want, but not with the linuxgazette name.
5. linuxgazette.net doesn't agree, and the threats start to fly
(6. Profit?)
All very reasonable if you ask me
The path I walk alone is endlessly long.
30 minutes by bike, 15 by bus.
Perhaps you'd like to read their side of the story?
Anything is possible given time and money.
There is a trademark registered to SSC. But the application date was Oct 28,2003. The very same day that Rick Moen notified Phil Hugh that they were moving the magazine accord to the LWN article.
SSC is playing dirty pool not the other around.
As posted below, more info is found here : http://lwn.net/Articles/58065/
:
.net folks for continuing to use the name.
A lot of people aren't reading the links - here is a summary (again)
Linuxgazette.com - originally founded by a group of volunteers.
SSC offered to host them, whee - works great.
SSC took over editing at some point
SSC changed the entire look/feel of the site, trashed the articles at will, and basically started locking out the original founders.
the founders took their content to linuxgazette.net
SSC, in the form of linuxgazette.com, is unhappy with the
IMHO - SSC should be ashamed for its bullying tactics. They should change the name of linuxgazette.com to something else, and give it back to the founders.
cince when does a company automatically get to claim ownership of something that others created?
SSC is trying to hijack the ownership of Linux Gazette. It was never EVER sold to them. they graciousally offered to host them.
SSC are being the asshats. they dont OWN Linux Gazette, they never OWNED linux Gazette, and nothing can change that fact.
SSC lost me when they made the Linux Journal into the ZiffDavis type crap it is today. the LJ used to be of the quality of Linux Format, a british Linux mag that is the best you can get today.
this crud they are trying to pull only amplifies what is wrong in SSC.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
The problem is, they applied for the trademark on October 28th, 2003. This, of course, is the same exact day that the other people decided to split off from them. And this isn't "a few contributors", this is *all the staff*. Basically the only people left at Linuxgazette.com are SSC's people -- everyone who actually worked on Linuxgazette has left.
So yeah. Something's fishy here. Not sure what, but the impression I got (from the article and the emails posted to LWN) was that:
SSC basically offered them hosting space for a long period of time.
Having done so, SSC has basically started taking over recently, changing LinuxGazette.com from a newspaper type website to a blog/slashdot type "Content Managment System" site. This includes them taking older articles that were published under the OPL an removing the copyright notice, modifying articles at will without telling anyone (or even asking), and stuff like that. The only reason anyone noticed they were modifying articles was the original staff kept mirrors of the issues elsewhere, which were unedited.
The founders/authors weren't happy with this, so they decided rather than fight it, they'd just split off to "the other Linuxgazette" and poiltely request that SSC rename Linuxgazette.com and give them back their domain name.
SSC decides that hey, since they were hosting LinuxGazette.com, they now own LinuxGazette.*, and trademarks the name in reply to them deciding to leave.
Am I close? Anyone got any corrections to offer?