Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2000 06:36:57 -0400 From: "Thomas M. Sommers" <tms2@mail.ptd.net> To: Rahul Dhesi <dhesi@rahul.net> Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: "FreeBSD" as trademark Message-ID: <38EF0BC8.6228D07E@mail.ptd.net> References: <freebsd-questions.2.2.32.20000407012835.01333468@netmail.home.com> <20000407092202.A26DA7C88@yellow.rahul.net>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
Rahul Dhesi wrote: > > "FreeBSD" is a composite term made up of two words: "Free" and "BSD". > The word "Free" is not trade-mark-able when used with its normal meaning > of "free of cost". The word BSD *might* be trade-mark-able if the > University of California decided to make it so; but they didn't. I > doubt that anybody else could claim trade mark rights over the word > "BSD", when used to refer to "BSD". A valid trade mark gives the > claimant a monopoly over the trade mark, and I doubt that anybody except > the University of California could exercise such a monopoly over 'BSD'. > > The composite term "FreeBSD" would be a very, very weak trade mark, if > it could be one at all. It would probably be no stronger a trade mark > than any of these other composite words: > > FreeMarket > FreeLunch > FreeSoftware > FreeSample > > Now as to whether a trade mark is *claimed* over 'FreeBSD', that's a > different question. I believe there is such a claim. But a claim alone > does not make a trade mark legally valid. > Both BSD and FreeBSD are registered trademarks: BSD: http://trademarks.uspto.gov/cgi-bin/ifetch4?ENG+ALL+3+966392+0+0+498344+F+6+10+1+MS%2fbsd FreeBSD: http://trademarks.uspto.gov/cgi-bin/ifetch4?ENG+ALL+3+966392+0+0+344462+F+5+10+1+MS%2fbsd Amusingly enough, there is also a completely different BSD trademark: http://trademarks.uspto.gov/cgi-bin/ifetch4?ENG+ALL+3+966392+0+0+739172+F+7+10+1+MS%2fbsd To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?38EF0BC8.6228D07E>