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Date:      Tue, 14 Mar 2000 00:56:26 +0000
From:      Paul Richards <paul@originative.co.uk>
To:        Brad Knowles <blk@skynet.be>
Cc:        Brett Glass <brett@lariat.org>, Doug Barton <Doug@gorean.org>, freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: The Merger, and what will its effects be on committers?
Message-ID:  <38CD8E3A.7EB4720D@originative.co.uk>
References:  <4.2.2.20000313111904.041e0c00@localhost> <4.2.2.20000313103859.0410fe30@localhost> <4.2.2.20000312160425.00b16e80@localhost> <Pine.LNX.4.20.0003112034290.431-100000@theory8.physics.iisc.ernet.in> <4.2.2.20000312122651.00b1e880@localhost> <4.2.2.20000312144558.04190e80@localhost> <4.2.2.20000312160425.00b16e80@localhost> <4.2.2.20000313103859.0410fe30@localhost> <4.2.2.20000313111904.041e0c00@localhost> <4.2.2.20000313131120.041d91f0@localhost> <v04220810b4f30063ef1e@[195.238.24.123]>

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Brad Knowles wrote:
> 


> At 1:23 PM -0700 2000/3/13, Brett Glass wrote:
> 
> >  Was the Core Team consulted about this? No, not at all. Remember,
> >  Walnut Creek owned the trademark. It didn't need to.
> 
>         Consider that the bulk of the FreeBSD Core Team probably works
> for Walnut Creek, and there is likely to be no conflict here.  Of
> course, Walnut Creek/BSD, Inc. is doing the Right Thing by
> transferring the Trademark to the FreeBSD Foundation (and it use will
> be governed by the FreeBSD Core Team until then), but this fact does
> not create a problem in the past when there was none at the time.

From the statement that David made, the FreeBSD trademark will be
controlled by the core team, it wasn't clear to me whether this was
because the core team would be running the foundation or whether the
core team would retain this right even when the foundation actually
owned the mark.

From another of your emails, it is not possible for someone to pick up
the code from FreeBSD and go and create "X BSD" because BSDI own the BSD
trademark. You'd either have to get them to allow you to create another
*BSD mark or create an OS under a completely unrelated name. David
didn't actually mention what was going to happen to the BSD mark, I'm
assuming it will be kept by BSDI.

I've no idea what WC/BSDI's attitude will be towards the use of the BSD
mark following the merger but it would be foolish of them to allow any
more spinoffs given their aim of creating more unification.

>         Going forward, the FreeBSD Core Team/FreeBSD Foundation will have
> control over what happens with the FreeBSD trademark, and they can
> determine the minimum acceptable standards to which all players will
> have to adhere -- and Walnut Creek/BSD, Inc. will have to play by
> those same rules, just like everyone else.
> 
>         If you can't live with that fact, I suggest you go somewhere else
> and quit wasting our time.

Actually, I think the whole point of Brett's argument is that he want's
to live with that fact as long as the rules are fair to all parties and
people actually know what they are.

Paul.


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