7 ms·

Using docker in GitHub repo names is forbidden

52 points by i4k 10y ago

pjdorrell 10y ago
Headline says: "docker _in_ GitHub repo names" Story detail says: "using the registered trademark Docker as the _first part_ of a repo name" So imaginative name replacements like "wharfee" not necessarily required.
milankragujevic 10y ago
Well, to be honest, they can do with their trademark as they wish. However, I do not believe that having a repo begin with docker- that constitutes endorsement by Docker, having a github.com/docker/something would, but not docker-something. For me, it just seems to be "something" for Docker, not by Docker.
- x1798DE 10y ago
  > Well, to be honest, they can do with their trademark as they wish. They can't do "as they wish". Trademark protection has specific limits, including nominative use ("our product does everything Docker does and more!", "made to work with Docker") and trademarks are specific to a type of product (no conflict between the docker software and a company that makes docks for your phone also called docker, for example). It seems unlikely that it's legitimate for them to say any repo with "docker" in it is an infringing use, but I think it's often a useful strategy for companies to adopt a broad rule and count on the fact that almost no one will be willing to fight back on this sort of thing because it's much more costly to go to court rather than change the name of your project.
  - dockinator 10y ago
    Not to mention that they can't legally stop a "docker sucks" site or "@dockersucks" twitter account because that's protected speech, has trademark exemptions, and years upon years of case law backing the protections.
claybro 10y ago
Google also recently made apps such as Reddit Sync change their name to Sync for Reddit.
- aboonaboo 10y ago
  Reddit made those rules
- echeese 10y ago
  Yes, but in that situation they're still allowed to have "reddit" in the name. It seems like using docker at all in the repo name is forbidden.
  - i4k 10y ago
    I don't think so. Apparently the problem is only with repos starting with "docker". As an example, the project "dockercli" was renamed to "wharfee" due to legal issues with docker inc. https://github.com/j-bennet/wharfee https://github.com/j-bennet/wharfee/issues/89
i4k 10y ago
https://github.com/search?q=docker&type=Repositories&utf8=%E2%9C%93 https://github.com/search?q=docker&type=Repositories&utf8=%E... 112.567 repositories with docker in name. Big companies/projects are using docker.* repo names. To cite some: spotify/docker-gc couchbase/docker citusdata/docker nodejs/docker-node
nikolay 10y ago
Go rkt and rktnetes!
icholy 10y ago
The repo name is qualified by the github username. It could be argued that the username is part of the project name.

52 points by i4k 10y ago

Headline says: "docker _in_ GitHub repo names" Story detail says: "using the registered trademark Docker as the _first part_ of a repo name" So imaginative name replacements like "wharfee" not necessarily required.

milankragujevic 10y ago

Well, to be honest, they can do with their trademark as they wish. However, I do not believe that having a repo begin with docker- that constitutes endorsement by Docker, having a github.com/docker/something would, but not docker-something. For me, it just seems to be "something" for Docker, not by Docker.

x1798DE 10y ago
> Well, to be honest, they can do with their trademark as they wish. They can't do "as they wish". Trademark protection has specific limits, including nominative use ("our product does everything Docker does and more!", "made to work with Docker") and trademarks are specific to a type of product (no conflict between the docker software and a company that makes docks for your phone also called docker, for example). It seems unlikely that it's legitimate for them to say any repo with "docker" in it is an infringing use, but I think it's often a useful strategy for companies to adopt a broad rule and count on the fact that almost no one will be willing to fight back on this sort of thing because it's much more costly to go to court rather than change the name of your project.
- dockinator 10y ago
  Not to mention that they can't legally stop a "docker sucks" site or "@dockersucks" twitter account because that's protected speech, has trademark exemptions, and years upon years of case law backing the protections.

claybro 10y ago

Google also recently made apps such as Reddit Sync change their name to Sync for Reddit.

aboonaboo 10y ago
Reddit made those rules
echeese 10y ago
Yes, but in that situation they're still allowed to have "reddit" in the name. It seems like using docker at all in the repo name is forbidden.
- i4k 10y ago
  I don't think so. Apparently the problem is only with repos starting with "docker". As an example, the project "dockercli" was renamed to "wharfee" due to legal issues with docker inc. https://github.com/j-bennet/wharfee https://github.com/j-bennet/wharfee/issues/89

i4k 10y ago

https://github.com/search?q=docker&type=Repositories&utf8=%E2%9C%93 https://github.com/search?q=docker&type=Repositories&utf8=%E... 112.567 repositories with docker in name. Big companies/projects are using docker.* repo names. To cite some: spotify/docker-gc couchbase/docker citusdata/docker nodejs/docker-node

nikolay 10y ago

Go rkt and rktnetes!

icholy 10y ago

The repo name is qualified by the github username. It could be argued that the username is part of the project name.