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Linux Trademark Protection In Australia

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the decease-and-resist dept.

robyannetta writes "Australian companies providing Linux products and services may soon have to pay up to $A5000 a year to licence the operating system name (warning: Registration Required), if the patents agency IP Australia grants a trademark application it is reviewing. About 90 companies with products, services or websites containing the word "Linux" recently received letters of demand from Perth lawyer Jeremy Malcolm. Acting for user group Linux Australia Inc, he asks recipients to sign statements saying their use of the word is subject to the group's licence agreement, which has fees of $A200 to $A5000 under a successful trademark application."

2 of 376 comments (clear)

  1. Appropriate phrasing by Kelson · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...may soon have to pay up to $A5000 a year to licence the operating system name (warning: Registration Required) [Emphasis added]

    So you have to register to read about how people may have to register...

  2. That's not so bad... by Pedrito · · Score: 4, Funny

    He's not charging all that much for use of the trademark. I don't usually see monetary figures in hex, though. I guess that's just a Linus thing. But $41,472 - $42,240 seems pretty reasonable.