Re: Debian & the Mozilla Firefox Trademarks

[Brian Thomas Sniffen <bts@alum.mit.edu>]

Don Armstrong <don@donarmstrong.com> writes:

> On Mon, 01 Mar 2004, Ben Goodger wrote:
>> Does DFSG imply that anyone can modify and use the Firefox artwork
>> for any purpose? If so, then we have additional issues.
>
> Yes, in general.
>
> You can require that they indicate that they have modified the
> artwork, and you may be able to restrict confusing usage by
> trademark, but in order for the artwork to be DFSG Free, people need
> to be capable of making derivative works of it for whatever purpose.

Is the xcf (or whatever) file for the logo actually available?  It
doesn't do much good to have permission to use the trademarked work if
the source isn't available.

On that theme, I think it's worth distinguishing between trademark and
copyright licenses -- the icon is distributable if its copyright
license is OK, but the trademark license is needed to make the graphic
the default icon, and to name a package Firefox, presumably.

There is an interesting GPL compatability issue here, though: this
trademark license is not GPL compatible, and the marks "Firefox" and
the Firefox fox-and-globe logo are used within the work.  I know
upstream, Mozilla is available under a trio of licenses.  Is Firefox
actually distributable under the GPL at all?

-Brian

-- 
Brian Sniffen                                       bts@alum.mit.edu