Re: Debian UK

[Sven Luther <sven.luther@wanadoo.fr>]

On Tue, Sep 06, 2005 at 06:30:46PM -0400, Stephen Frost wrote:
> * Sven Luther (sven.luther@wanadoo.fr) wrote:
> > On Tue, Sep 06, 2005 at 12:12:44PM -0400, Stephen Frost wrote:
> > > > We would be most glad then if you would stop trying to harm it by
> > > > involving all the members in a stupid flamewar on -project then.  Trust
> > > > me you are visibly doing harm.
> > > 
> > > Attempting to work out the concerns of DDs and how the Debian trademark
> > > should be used isn't exactly a 'stupid flamewar'.  It almost certainly
> > > will help Debian in the end as it's been shown that not having a clear
> > > trademark policy certainly hurts Debian.
> > 
> > No, you are wrong, this is a stupid flamewar over inter-personal dislikes or
> > whatever of some UK guys, who have a misunderstanding about the debian-uk
> > association, as happens in lot of associations i guess, and this is very very
> > quickly gettting over anoying, so all UK-guys concerned, please stop being
> > stuborn and prideful and whatever, and go speak with each other and stop
> > making yourself ridicoulous in front of the wider debian community.
> 
> It's not quite as simple as that, unfortunately.  I'd be happier if it
> was.  I feel there is an issue regarding if Debian should be a
> commercial or a non-commercial entity, and how that affects its branches
> in other countries and accordingly the Debian trademark policy.  It
> happens that the DUS/Debian-UK/whatever people have pushed this issue to
> the forefront by attempting to set up what appears to be a commercial
> Debian branch in the UK but I don't feel this issue is really isolated
> to them.

It seems to me they are selling t-shirts and whatever and the result of that
money serves to buy more t-shirts and stuff, is donated to debian as UK-based
money when asked by the DPL/SPI/whoever, and occasionally serves to pay beer
for the anual barbeque or whatever.

This doesn't strike me as much different than loads of other inon-profit associations
(maybe thisis a frenchisism though ?) do in all legallity, and i see nothing
there which really involves trademark or our attitude with regard commercial
distributions.

.From my overview of this discussion, it is just a petty person dispute
between the "in" people and the "out" ones, and some critiziscm at the fact
that debian-uk was setup slopily and in a way which may make random UK based
DD liable (altough i guess any court would take the reasonable approach over
the opt-out thingy, and not make those co-opted members liable, but IANAL).

So, go solv your internal and interpersonal affairs between yourselves, or
bring some more real problems here that warrant this long flamewar :)

Friendly,

Sven Luther