Re: Free Software Logo

[Jean Louis]

* Adonay Felipe Nogueira via libreplanet-discuss 
<libreplanet-discuss@libreplanet.org> [2020-10-30 18:43]:
> Em 29/10/2020 12:59, Jean Louis escreveu:
> > To clarify my previous post, there are groups like free system
> > distributions from https://www.gnu.org that would not go after
> > somebody using their logo or trademarks in any manner, they would
> > continue doing what they are doing.
> > 
> > GNU is also trademark, but GNU never did anything into that direction
> > as it opposes in general intellectual rights.
> 
> As far as I have read, GNU head trademark is enforced only when non-free
> software poses as “GNU” or when the GNU head is used to advertise
> non-free software.

I don't think that GNU trademark was ever "enforced". Trademark laws
are different from copyright laws.

FSF and GNU act friendly towards other people as the goal is to get
new free software and that is indeed how much of new free software
came into existence from third parties.

This is interesting article how RMS helped FreeBSD not to have the
advertising clause:
https://www.gnu.org/licenses/bsd.html

By speaking and promoting the cause for free software at Linus's
University, Linus Torvalds decided to liberate than non-free Linux
kernel.

Overall those discussions over copyright remain for 99.9% of time
outside of the scope of any legal enforcements. We can see many free
software communities benefited from there. They do not even know about
it.

Thus what I see from history is that RMS and GNU in first place, then
FSF, do mostly influential work that improves society.


Jean