Re: [OFF-TOPIC] Register Linux

Jens Benecke (jens@pinguin.conetix.de)
Sat, 29 May 1999 01:14:14 +0200


On Tue, May 25, 1999 at 08:46:19AM -0400, Raymond A. Ingles wrote:
> On Sat, 22 May 1999, Leonardo Marques de Souza wrote:
>
> > I would like to know, any one (one each country, depending of law)
> > can register "linux" to deny others ,in the same country, to sell
> > CDs, Disks, Books with "Linux" inside?? A enterprise in Brazil,
> This sounds like what happened in the U.S. about three years ago.

This sounds like what our infamous German lawyer is/was doing, registering
the name "Explorer" in respect to software. No, he doesn't sue MS, they are
already paying royalties to him.

What he does, and apparently this even works, is he sues companies, who
have a link for downloading any software called "Explorer" (most notably
this Netscape clone, what was it called again) for, in some cases, a couple
thousand DM.

'sue' is perhaps the wrong word, we call it Abmahnung, it's a kind of
'legal warning', allowing the charge of a lawyers fee.

This is the same person who bought computers, and 'sued' the small shops,
when he discovered that the word 'Triton' was displayed upon boot (this
Intel chipset). It seemed, that there was a company called 'Tricon', and
according to his reasoning, there was a danger of mistaking one for the
other. No, he didn't talk to Intel. He ripped off the small computer
eggheads who didn't even know such a law existed.

> "Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced."
> - Anonymous' restatement of Clarke

"Any magic indistinguishable from technology may just be 'just
technology'."

Read Isaac Asimov's "Magic". There, this statement is torn apart quite
cleverly. (talking about 'who is the fairest in the land' and videophones)

-- 
_ciao, Jens_______________________________ http://www.pinguin.conetix.de

Anyone comfortable with using Linux shall use it. | "I'm afraid Linux has a Anyone wanting to tell other people what they | year-429496 problem" should be using can go work for Microsoft. | -- Kernel mailing list

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