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GNOME Project Seeks Donations For Trademark Battle With Groupon

Posted by timothy on from the how-similar-how-confusing? dept.

Drinking Bleach writes Groupon has released a tablet-based point of sale system called Gnome, despite the well-known desktop environment's existence and trademark status. This is also not without Groupon's internal knowledge of the GNOME project; they were contacted about the infringement and flatly refused to change the name of their own product, in addition to filing many new trademark applications for theirs. The GNOME project is seeking donations to help them in a legal battle against these trademark applications, and to get Groupon to stop using their name. They are seeking at least $80,000 to challenge a first set of ten trademark applications from Groupon, out of 28 applications that have been filed.

58 of 268 comments (clear)

  1. If this were ten years ago, I would have by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If this were ten years ago, I would have donated my first month's paycheck. But ever since GNOME decided "We'll do what we want. We don't care about the users", I care a lot less about GNOME. Now if Groupon had come out with a tablet named XFCE, then maybe...

    1. Re:If this were ten years ago, I would have by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      A similar story:

      "The Phoenix name was kept until April 14, 2003, when it was changed because of a trademark dispute with the BIOS manufacturer, Phoenix Technologies (which produces a BIOS-based browser called Phoenix FirstWare Connect). The new name, Firebird, met with mixed reactions, particularly as the Firebird database server already carried the name. In response, the Mozilla Foundation stated that the browser should always bear the name Mozilla Firebird to avoid confusion with the database software. Continuing pressure from the Firebird community forced another change,[1] and on February 9, 2004 the project was renamed Mozilla Firefox (or Firefox for short)."

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Firefox

      Just because you don't agree with the desktop environment's choice doesn't mean that they are in the wrong here, or that this wouldn't have lasting implications in the open-source community. Even if you aren't using Gnome-shell, chances are very strong that you are running something requiring GStreamer or GTK 2/3 that comes from the Gnome project. Open-source products have been bullied in the past (see the Firefox example above, or $4/device to Microsoft for their "development" of Android) by well-funded campaigns that seek to ride the coattails of a community-oriented product for their own profit. Dozens of community sites, Gnome-look.org, Worldofgnome.org, etc. and system libraries stand to lose of Groupon presses their trademark.

      This is an assault on open-source software, and regardless of what you feel about the direction that Gnome is taking, it the project is still very relevant and this action should not be tolerated. It's okay to debate among the community about the direction of the project, but the community needs to have clear resolve to combat outside threats to its right to exist.

    2. Re:If this were ten years ago, I would have by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      Do you realize that XFCE uses Gtk+ and a host of other software developed by GNOME?

    3. Re:If this were ten years ago, I would have by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Well if we were being informed on the history of GTK we would know that GTK was developed by The GIMP so they could have a pretty GUI for their nice image manipulation software, then Gnome happend to like that GIMP Tool Kit and used it to create Gnome, but whatever floats your boat.

    4. Re:If this were ten years ago, I would have by Eunuchswear · · Score: 3, Informative

      That is exactly not what that message says. He starts:

      Important disclaimer: I am now stating the de-facto situation, not the
      situation I wish for.

      and continues:

      GTK 3 at this point really is just the GNOME toolkit. There is absolutely zero
      involvement from anyone else.

      He's complaining that nobody else helps develop GTK, not saying that GNOME doesn't want other people to use GTK.

      --
      Watch this Heartland Institute video
    5. Re:If this were ten years ago, I would have by juanfgs · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No, what they are saying is that they are the major contributors, which is actually true. So GTK is catering more and more to THEIR needs. Of course, this being Slashdot we should force their developers do things that WE like, despite us not contributing a single line of code.

      I disagree with many of the design principles of the new gnome, but they are not obligated to focus their resources on a path that they don't want to follow. I don't see anyone giving shit to the people at Englihtenment desktop for writing a toolkit (EFL) that looks foreign on any other desktop environment.

      Open source used to be about scratching your own itch, not forcing other people to solve your problems. If XFCE/LXDE likes GTK 3 but not in the way gnome devs want, publish patches to GTK3 allowing their code. If their patches are rejected, then we can really talk of gnome devs being a little dickish, but still the solution in that case is forking.

      Then again, is easier to complain on the internet than to actually contribute code.

    6. Re:If this were ten years ago, I would have by nadaou · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hear hear. If one of the biggest and best known names in the FOSS world can't defend themselves from something so blatant it just encourages other big corporations from abusing smaller groups.

      Red hat, we're looking at you to step up here.

      The Systemd and GNOME3 toxic manouvers are irrelevant.

      --
      ~.~
      I'm a peripheral visionary.
    7. Re:If this were ten years ago, I would have by xiando · · Score: 2

      This: https://trac.transmissionbt.co... and similar behavior is why I will not contribute a satoshi to GNOME regardless of what I think about this specific issue. If they want to shoot themselves in the foot and cripple their now joke of a desktop then fine, that is up to them. Going around asking other projects to remove features to make them "fit in" with their garbage .. that's just taking it too far. Removing features from GTK and making it clear that all those hours writing software based on it was a huge waste of time also makes it very hard to support GNOME a very hard sell.

      --
      9/11: Never forget it was a false-flag operation
    8. Re:If this were ten years ago, I would have by sensei+moreh · · Score: 2

      Personally, as someone who doesn't have the latest and greatest in terms of CPU horsepower in my desktop PC, I like the idea of a lightweight desktop, and my current favorite in this regard is LXDE. I'm hopeful regarding LXQt http://lxqt.org/ but I'm not holding my breath. My ideal DE would use the same toolkit as the graphical apps I use (file manager, web browser, IM client, terminal, text editor, word processor, spreadsheet, graphical ftp client, image editor, image viewer, package manager, pdf viewer, media player, CD/DVD burner), but not bring in a whole lot of extra crap I don't want. Mixing Gtk2 and Gtk3 apps is as bad as mixing Gtk and Qt as far as I'm concerned.

      --
      Geology - it's not rocket science; it's rock science
    9. Re:If this were ten years ago, I would have by IRWolfie- · · Score: 2

      "I expect a large majority of people interested in the Gnome PoS software will not of heard of GNOME, the ones who have will know enough not to be confused by it." Why are you so certain? If someone had told me it uses gnome, i would have assumed it was from GNOME. KDE, XFCE users have heard of GNOME but they don't use it, so they wouldn't know what they interface should be like exactly, especially on a POS device, and it would be, I assume, going to be tech people making the POS acquisitions.

  2. How about a Linux windowing system... by DiamondGeezer · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...called Groupon

    Groupon Window System will take the best of windowing system technologies, mix it all up in a big bit bucket, and then start a flamewar followed by a schism. Just like all of the others.

    --
    Tubby or not tubby. Fat is the question
  3. Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Unless Gnome is selling PoS systems, how would this infringe their trademark?

    1. Re:Huh? by Wycliffe · · Score: 2

      Unless Gnome is selling PoS systems, how would this infringe their trademark?

      I agree that if it was in a different domain they might not have a very strong case but a PoS is basically a simplified
      GUI so I think there is a very strong case that there could be potential confusion between a computer running gnome desktop
      and a computer running gnome PoS. I have no idea why groupon would want that confusion unless they think they
      can steal some of gnome desktop's reputation.

    2. Re:Huh? by jandersen · · Score: 5, Funny

      Any way, it shouldn't be a problem; they could just use a translation of the word 'Gnome' - for example, in Swedish: Nissan. Problem solved.

    3. Re:Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Groupon's SEO Ekssp3rt suggested that "Gnome POS" has so many google results that it makes their product look popular.

  4. Why feed the lawyers? by Brian+Kendig · · Score: 3, Insightful

    One is a desktop environment. The other is a tablet-based point of sale system. Who's going to confuse the two? "I wanted to install GNOME on my laptop, but instead it's asking me if I want to redeem a coupon."

    Is GNOME going to challenge anyone who calls anything a gnome?

    1. Re:Why feed the lawyers? by Thanshin · · Score: 2

      Is GNOME going to challenge anyone who calls anything a gnome?

      You mean the desktop environment? Or the tablet-based point of sale system.

    2. Re:Why feed the lawyers? by Brian+Kendig · · Score: 2

      These days, is there anything that's NOT on a computer?

    3. Re:Why feed the lawyers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      GNOME (the desktop environment) has been used as the point-of-sale operating system on cash registers at Lowe's Home Improvement (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lowe%27s) since the early 2000's. You can still walk around their stores and see Gnome 1.x with Enlightenment as its window manager on their _cash registers_ in 2014. That alone should be grounds for the GNOME Project's case.

    4. Re:Why feed the lawyers? by Livius · · Score: 2

      One is a desktop environment. The other is a tablet-based point of sale system.

      A Slashdot audience may understand, but I think you are massively overestimating how obvious the distinction would be to the general public. It will be about as clear as GNU versus Linux.

    5. Re:Why feed the lawyers? by skids · · Score: 2

      Heh. I see what you did there.

      In all seriousness, were GNOME-the-desktop to have some major security incident and it affects the viability of GNOME-the-PoS with potential customers by associating the brand with security problems in search engine results, someone will start to appreciate the merit of avoiding name collisions.

      --
      Someone had to do it.
    6. Re:Why feed the lawyers? by PhilHibbs · · Score: 3, Insightful

      If they called it "Windows", do you think they would last a nanosecond before the orbital lawyers opened fire?

    7. Re:Why feed the lawyers? by firewrought · · Score: 2

      Huh? What does that have to do with anything? Was GNOME marketing Lowes POS system under the name GNOME? No. Someone just happened to use the GNOME desktop manager to make a POS system (not called GNOME).

      For all we know, Lowe's (or a software vendor contracted by Lowes) may have marketed (or may choose in the future to market) their POS to other parties as a GNOME-based product. It wouldn't be the product name, but it could be trumpeted in the feature listing. For that matter, the GNOME project may reasonably identify an opportunity to produce a POS-specific version of their product and want to call it "GNOME-POS" or something.

      The Lowe's example definitely shows the overlapping and competing uses of the name: your average moron in a hurry isn't going to know the difference between a POS named "Gnome" and a Desktop Environment called "GNOME" that can be used to construct POS systems.

      Boss: "Should we buy Gnome for our POS?"

      Employee: "No, we should use GNOME for our POS."

      Boss: "WTF??"

      --
      -1, Too Many Layers Of Abstraction
  5. IANL by jmitchel!jmitchel.co · · Score: 4, Informative

    I'm not a lawyer, but a POS and a desktop environment don't seem like overlapping categories for Trademark purposes.

    1. Re:IANL by havana9 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Some peple think that Gnome 3 is a fuming POS and say that Gnome 2 was way better tha the newer versions.

    2. Re:IANL by Wycliffe · · Score: 2

      I'm not a lawyer, but a POS and a desktop environment don't seem like overlapping categories for Trademark purposes.

      How do you figure? They are both the frontend GUI, window manager, and most visible portion of the environment.
      If you asked an uninformed newbie what OS they were running on either system the most likely answer would be "gnome"
      though neither "gnome desktop" nor "gnome PoS" are operating systems when a normal thinks of an operating system
      they think of the window and gui management system. Yes, gnome is a full fledged desktop environment but that's like
      saying I can market bottled water under the name "coca cola" because water isn't a soda. They are both still beverages.
      Likewise, "gnome Pos" and "gnome desktop" are both "frontend gui and window managers for the underlying OS"

    3. Re:IANL by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 2

      One must protect their trademark or risk losing it. That is why we now have Jello brand gelatin and Band-Aids brand bandages. Apple Computer successfully defended it's trademark against Apple Records which was founded by the Beatles and those two categories were a lot further apart than Gnome the desktop environment, GnomeOS (put out by the Gnome foundation) and Gnome the point of sale operating system.

    4. Re:IANL by eclectro · · Score: 2

      The GNOME desktop guys need to stop acting like they own the word "gnome".

      Said the poster quoting executives inside Groupon!

      As far as operating systems are concerned, they do in fact "own" the word "gnome." That is by definition of what a trademark is.

      The gnome foundation does have a right to be concerned. With an point of sale system that offers a "gnome" operating environment, end users could easily confuse the two. And it seriously could affect the Gnome Foundation's ability to conduct any business in the future as their mark would be seriously diluted.

      What is also disturbing is the hubris behind this. Clearly Groupon thought that they could steamroll over the Gnome Foundation!

      I am not a user of gnome, and I know that developers and users have had disagreements with Gnome in the past, but that doesn't mean that users of open source software shouldn't stand behind the Gnome Foundation on this issue. As they have made significant contributions to GPL code and promoting open source software. This really is a no-brainer.

      --
      Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
    5. Re:IANL by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      GNOME: Desktop Environment recently focused on a GUI optimized for touch/tablet interfaces.
      Gnome: Point Of Sale running on a tablet with customized GUI.

      Two different GUI's running on a tablet with the same name. That's overlapping to me.

    6. Re: IANL by Dcnjoe60 · · Score: 2

      But you must still defend your mark and Gnome the open source project desktop environment and also GnomeOS the operating system are pretty similar sounding to the GNOME point of sale system which includes the GNOME operating system per the article. While most of us could see that Apple Records and Apple Computer were two unrelated things, the courts found Apple Records to infringe on Apple Computer's mark. Likewise, McDonalds has fought very hard to protect its mark and also to expand it. Or, when Starwars first came out, it was a book and a movie. Now, it includes all sorts of merchandise that is anything but the book and movie. Ford could not come out and advertize a Darth Vader F-150 without getting into trouble, even though a pickup has nothing to do with the franchise.

      Groupon is advertising an open source software project called GNOME that is an operating system for a point of sale system, that runs on a tablet. It is conceivable that Gnome Foundation will also wave a version of their Desktop environment that runs on a tablet or could be the foundation for somebody else's point of sale system. As such, Gnome Foundation is well within their rights to protect their mark and actually if they failed to do so, could lose their mark.

      I'm pretty sure if Groupon named their POS system WINDOWS, nobody would bat an eye at Microsoft defending their mark, even though Microsoft's desktop environment is not the same thing as a point of sale system.

      With trademarks, one must defend them or lose them.

    7. Re: IANL by Holi · · Score: 2

      >the courts found Apple Records to infringe on Apple Computer's mark

      You have that backwards. It was Apple Corps (the Beatles) who sued. Apple Corp was never found to be the infringing party.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
    8. Re: IANL by powerlord · · Score: 2

      and part of the settlement was that Apple Computer Corp agreed to stay out of the Music business ... until a bunch of years later when they renegotiated.

      --
      This space for rent. All reasonable inquiries will be entertained at proprietors discretion.
    9. Re:IANL by eclectro · · Score: 2

      The end user would see it as part of an operating system - which it does become. All I'm seeing here on Slashdot is what must be a bunch of Groupon employees trolling Slashdot trying to defend their company. But they will lose this trademark case.

      --
      Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
  6. Gnome did the same thing to KDE, even worse by dotancohen · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Gnome had no problem usurping the KDE term "Activities" as a synonym for "Virtual Desktops" even though KDE had been using the term to mean something else for years:
    http://aseigo.blogspot.co.il/2...

    The Gnome move is even more confusing than the Groupon move as the new Gnome term _replaces an existing term_ and additionally is also a UI term similar, but not quite exactly, like the KDE term. At least nobody is likely to confuse a Gnome tablet with a Gnome desktop environment.

    --
    It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
    1. Re:Gnome did the same thing to KDE, even worse by Merk42 · · Score: 2

      Did KDE have a registered Trademark for "Activities"?

  7. How is their infringment? by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 5, Informative

    How would this be infringement? GNOME's trademark lists only the following goods and services:

    Downloadable computer software tools and libraries used for the development of other software applications; downloadable computer software development tools; downloadable computer software for creating and managing a computer desktop; downloadable computer software for use as a graphical user interface; downloadable computer software for word processing, database management, and use as a spreadsheet

    None of which this tablet system falls under other since this isn't "downloadable computer software". And:

    Computer software development; computer software design; computer programming for others; technical consulting services in the field of computer software; licensing of intellectual property

    Nor this.

    I know this will not be popular of me to say, but this looks like IP trolling.

    1. Re:How is their infringment? by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 3, Informative

      None of which this tablet system falls under other since this isn't "downloadable computer software".

      Any software that can be copied and installed over a network is "downloadable".Groupon's hardware product is a case for an iPad and I'll bet you their software is installed on those iPads over a network.

      Groupon is applying for trademarks in a broad array of areas, such as "contact management software used to organize and retrieve customer contact information; electronic commerce and transaction application software that allows users to engage in electronic business transactions via a global computer network; printer software for operating printers and printing". GNOME links to the complete list here. It's a genuine problem.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
  8. Let lawyers do it free, in exchange for % damages? by ad454 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't understand. It seems that there is a clear-cut case for GNOME, that should guarantee victory.

    How come in the USA with its huge surplus of lawyers, they aren't some willing to take the case for free, in exchange for a percentage of damages against a publicly traded company like GroupOn? I am surprised that a publicly traded company would take such a risk which could diminish shareholder value.

    Or it only scumbags like SCO/Novel which are allowed to sue?

  9. Re:Let lawyers do it free, in exchange for % damag by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 2

    It seems that there is a clear-cut case for GNOME, that should guarantee victory.

    In what way is it "clear-cut"? Their trademark registration does not involve goods and services that involve either tablets or PoS systems.

  10. Huh? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Gnome is certainly a PoS.

  11. Re:Let lawyers do it free, in exchange for % damag by jratcliffe · · Score: 3, Informative

    How come in the USA with its huge surplus of lawyers, they aren't some willing to take the case for free, in exchange for a percentage of damages against a publicly traded company like GroupOn?

    Because, if GNOME prevails, there wouldn't be damages, just the rejection of Groupon's trademark applications.

  12. Priorities by Livius · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So.... now they suddenly care about their users.

  13. Re:Let lawyers do it free, in exchange for % damag by AlecC · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It may seem clear cut to you, but it does not seem so to me nor several other contributors.

    A Trademark does not provide a universal protection for the word, only within a limited, named, commercial field. Sun Oil and Sun Computers co-existed using the name Sun. Gnome has trademarked the word for software and seoftware related services. Groupon's tablet is not software. No overlap.

    --
    Consciousness is an illusion caused by an excess of self consciousness.
  14. Trademark breadth by tepples · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Trademarks are usually valid within a specific field of use. But the more famous the mark becomes, the broader the judge will construe exclusivity. For example, something like "COCA-COLA" is so famous that Coke's lawyers will have no trouble making a prima facie case for dilution if the mark is used for any other product. Mozilla had to rename Firebird to Firefox even though database software and web browser software aren't exactly the same field. But whether the "GNOME" mark applies to useful computer software in general or to GUI frameworks in particular is for a judge to decide after the GNOME project's counsel presents its case.

    1. Re:Trademark breadth by Lunix+Nutcase · · Score: 2, Informative

      Trademarks are usually valid within a specific field of use.

      Yes, and the mark's specified goods and services don't overlap with this PoS system.

      But the more famous the mark becomes, the broader the judge will construe exclusivity.

      GNOME isn't that famous.

      For example, something like "COCA-COLA" is so famous that Coke's lawyers will have no trouble making a prima facie case for dilution if the mark is used for any other product.

      Wrong. are numerous registered marks that are "COCA-COLA" that are not from the Coca-Cola company.

      Mozilla had to rename Firebird to Firefox even though database software and web browser software aren't exactly the same field.

      But the actual registered goods and services for the mark could have overlapped.

      But whether the "GNOME" mark applies to useful computer software in general or to GUI frameworks in particular is for a judge to decide after the GNOME project's counsel presents its case.

      This isn't a GUI framework. It's a tablet PoS system. It does not fall under any of GNOME's registered goods and services.

    2. Re:Trademark breadth by ShadowRangerRIT · · Score: 5, Insightful

      How does that make sense? The risk of brand theft is higher with a more widely recognized product. If I introduce Coca Cola branded headphones (to name one of the few things Coca Cola doesn't stick their name on yet AFAIK), my sales would be boosted by the brand name association Coca Cola built, not the merits of my product. That's why trademark protections exist; to avoid borrowing/stealing/damaging (if the product sucks) other companies' reputations unfairly.

      --
      $_ = "wftedskaebjgdpjgidbsmnjgcdwatb"; tr/a-z/oh, turtleneck Phrase Jar!/; print
    3. Re:Trademark breadth by Theaetetus · · Score: 4, Informative

      For example, something like "COCA-COLA" is so famous that Coke's lawyers will have no trouble making a prima facie case for dilution if the mark is used for any other product.

      Wrong. are numerous registered marks that are "COCA-COLA" that are not from the Coca-Cola company.

      Your link doesn't work. And a search on TESS for "coca-cola" as the full mark and "NOT Coca-Cola Company" as the applicant returns one hit, an abandoned application by a pro se "sovereign citizen": "Harvey W. Wiley DBA We The People INDIVIDUAL UNITED STATES 900 Georgia Ave Chattanooga TENNESSEE 37402". Searching for "coca-cola" in the description of the mark with "NOT Coca-Cola Company" as the applicant returns one hit, a design for an author's business card that uses the same red color as Coke: "The color(s) coca-cola red is/are claimed as a feature of the mark. The mark consists of a coca-cola red kneeling fisherman." But it's also abandoned.

      Finally, searching for "coca-cola" anywhere in the application, but NOT the Coca-Cola Company as the applicant turns up a pile of applications... from people with addresses at "Coca-cola Plaza" or "Coca-cola Park" in various cities - i.e. tenants in Coke's industrial parks. Is that what you searched for and thought you found?

    4. Re:Trademark breadth by RavenLrD20k · · Score: 3, Informative

      ...to name one of the few things Coca Cola doesn't stick their name on yet AFAIK...

      Couldn't resist.

    5. Re:Trademark breadth by jedidiah · · Score: 2

      > Yes, and the mark's specified goods and services don't overlap with this PoS system.

      Except this "POS system" is really just a general purpose computer with a GUI. The point of Trademarks is not splitting legal hairs or finding loopholes but addressing genuine issues of consumer confusion.

      Specialty computer system named foo versus GUI software named foo.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    6. Re:Trademark breadth by Blaskowicz · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Quote from the first link : "When it's complete, Gnome will serve as an operating system for merchants to run their entire operation and enable them to create real-time promotions that bring customers into their business when they need them the most."

      It's really a top-level, self-contained GUI versus a top level, self-contained GUI.
      Both have significant underlying libraries, GUI toolkit probably, built-in apps - Gnome speaks of "Gnome OS" even. (a rough analogy would be like it's Windows 3.1 on top of DOS. Groupon must be using something be it linux, a BSD variant, QNX etc.)

  15. Re:Does Groupon know what it is taking on? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2

    You could cause a lot of damage to Groupon personally. If their board of directors read your post they might all die laughing.

  16. Re:Let lawyers do it free, in exchange for % damag by tepples · · Score: 2

    Their trademark registration does not involve goods and services that involve either tablets or PoS systems.

    In what way is a tablet not a computer?

  17. GNOME stands for by tepples · · Score: 5, Informative

    Originally GNU Network Object Model Environment, but I think this has been deemphasized since at least 2.0.

  18. Huh? What trademark? by SEE · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Thought they already changed the name of the desktop environment to MATE

  19. Don't waste your money by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Gnome is a poorly managed charity which has diverted most of its revenue away from its chartered purpose (as listed in its IRS Form 990) to become a SJW cause. According to its 2013 990 report, Gnome had $506,477 in expenses, while having only $201,034 in revenue. It has high administrative costs -- the pay of the executive director was $91,180 plus another $56,111 in compensation from the organization and other outside sources. The amount spent on its biggest event promoting actual free software, GUADEC, comes to $35,770, while the Women's Outreach Program got $265,369. A program that doesn't even require that the software produced by sponsored participants to be related to Gnome. This not what the Gnome Foundation was created for. In fact, Gnome Foundation is just really a public-relations front for Red Hat. If Red Hat is worried about Gnome's foot trademark, then let them fund the lawsuit. Gnome already has retained a former Red Hat IP lawyer for the case.

  20. what's the point? by ninjaz · · Score: 2

    It looks like GNOME has long outlived its usefulness of working around Qt being under an unsuitable license way back when KDE was the de facto standard DE. With its current contributions of pouring fuel onto the fire of the init system debate and now wanting to fund a pissing match over trademarks, it looks like the project is doing more harm than good.

  21. In other news... by Bill_the_Engineer · · Score: 2

    Groupon still exists.

    --
    These comments are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of my employer or colleagues...
  22. Re:Both are a POS by Hognoxious · · Score: 4, Funny

    Soon everything will be a POS - Poettering's Operating System.

    --
    Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."