Date: Tue, 07 Nov 2000 09:06:04 -0800 From: "Kevin Oberman" <oberman@es.net> To: John Galt <galt@inconnu.isu.edu> Cc: Jeremy Falcon <jeremy@intersurf.com>, "James G. Jones" <microtech@adelphia.net>, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: Unix Message-ID: <200011071706.eA7H64107282@ptavv.es.net> In-Reply-To: Your message of "Mon, 06 Nov 2000 00:31:22 MST." <Pine.LNX.4.21.0011052349510.25159-100000@inconnu.isu.edu>
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One thing that many people miss is the difference between Unix and UNIX(tm). The X/Open group will authorize the use of the UNIX label for conformant operating systems that provide test results and $$$ to X/Open. This is not the same as Unix. I'm unsure as to the official state of this, but the opinion of the X/Open lawyers feel that the trademark of Unix has not been protected by its prior holders and would probably not be upheld in a challenge, so they trademarked UNIX. (In the US, trademarks ARE case sensitive.) For those unfamiliar with US trademarks, they are valid when used in trade and when they are perceived by the public and something other than a generic term. This has resulted in the loss of trademark status for things like Formica. I suspect Kleenex is totally indefensible, but no one has ever challenged it. I also note that the box FreeBSD comes in say "BSD UNIX" on it. I don't know if this means that BSDI has gotten X/Open sanction or not. R. Kevin Oberman, Network Engineer Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) Ernest O. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) E-mail: oberman@es.net Phone: +1 510 486-8634 To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-questions" in the body of the message
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