Re: Ongoing Firefox (and Thunderbird) Trademark problems

[Jeremie Koenig <sprite@sprite.fr.eu.org>]

On Fri, Jun 17, 2005 at 08:18:29AM -0500, Donald J Bindner wrote:
> 
>  1) rebrand mozilla-firefox
>  2) create a permanent "transition package" with the firefox name
>     that depends on it
>  3) use alternatives to provide /usr/bin/firefox
> 
> The description of the transition package should briefly explain
> what is happening, that the transition package merely depends on
> a rebranded/forked version of the Mozilla Firefox web browser.
> This way, you are using the TM term to refer to the correct
> product but substituting a rebrand seemlessly (without the
> kind of confusion that would run you afoul of TM law).

I think it's a good compromise. I'd like to suggest:

  4) make the program's branding depend on argv[0].

That way the behaviour of the firefox command and package don't change
at all, but the name "firefox" is encapslated in a package which can be
dropped completely (no debian permission anymore) or moved to non-free
(the firefox maintainers decide the DFSG applies to trademarks.)

Users will eventually notice the situation (read firefox's description
or README.Debian.)

Derived distribution which have modified iceweasel but haven't got the
permission to call their own firefox yet just need to abstain
distributing the firefox package.

-- 
Jeremie Koenig <sprite@sprite.fr.eu.org>