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Re: A question for the list:



In <[🔎] 20101105090054.GC4403@wasteland.homelinux.net>, Jochen Schulz wrote:
>Boyd Stephen Smith Jr.:
>> In <[🔎] 4CD3921A.5090408@optonline.net>, Doug wrote:
>>> One thing I
>>> really _don't_ like about Debian is its fear of the copyright.  I really
>>> want
>>> Thunderbird and Firefox, with their familiar icons, on my screen, not the
>>> goofy clones that Debian has come up with.
>> 
>> It's not a "fear".  It's a reality.  The Mozilla Foundation contacted
>> Debian Developers and asked them to come into compliance on the trademark
>> usage allowances that Mozilla provides.
>
>The funny thing is, AFAIR the trademark license has been changed since
>then and if I got it right, there is no need for rebranding anymore. :)

From <http://www.mozilla.org/foundation/trademarks/policy.html>:
MODIFICATIONS
If you're taking full advantage of the open-source nature of Mozilla's 
products and making significant functional changes, you may not redistribute 
the fruits of your labor under any Mozilla trademark, without Mozilla's prior 
written consent. For example, if the product you've modified is Firefox, you 
may not use Mozilla or Firefox, in whole or in part, in its name. Also, it 
would be inappropriate for you to say "based on Mozilla Firefox". Instead, in 
the interest of complete accuracy, you could describe your executables as 
"based on Mozilla technology", or "incorporating Mozilla source code." In 
addition, you may want to read the discussion on the "Powered by Mozilla" 
logo.
In addition, if you compile a modified version, as discussed above, with 
branding enabled (the default in our source code is branding disabled), you 
will require Mozilla's prior written permission. If it's not the unmodified 
installer package from www.mozilla.com, and you want to use our trademark(s), 
our review and approval of your modifications is required. You also must 
change the name of the executable so as to reduce the chance that a user of 
the modified software will be misled into believing it to be a native Mozilla 
product.
Again, any modification to the Mozilla product, including adding to, modifying 
in any way, or deleting content from the files included with an installer, 
file location changes, added code, modification of any source files including 
additions and deletions, etc., will require our permission if you want to use 
the Mozilla Marks. If you have any doubt, just ask us at 
trademarks@mozilla.com.

>> Debian's choices were:  1. Seek approval from the Mozilla Foundation for
>> *all* patches.  2. Stop using the trademark.
>
>#1 was not an option anyway, because it doesn't comply with the DFSG.
>Everyone must be allowed to change and distribute Debian without
>permission from anyone else.

I disagree.  DFSG point 4 allows conditions like "if you modify the source, 
you must change the name".

From <http://www.debian.org/social_contract>:
The license may require derived works to carry a different name or version 
number from the original software. (This is a compromise. The Debian group 
encourages all authors not to restrict any files, source or binary, from being 
modified.)
-- 
Boyd Stephen Smith Jr.                   ,= ,-_-. =.
bss@iguanasuicide.net                   ((_/)o o(\_))
ICQ: 514984 YM/AIM: DaTwinkDaddy         `-'(. .)`-'
http://iguanasuicide.net/                    \_/

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