4 ms·
There is no way in hell that we can even begin to comply with this trademark policy without destroying what we've built up to date. Let's clarify. Have you bee
by mechanical_fish 17y ago
There is no way in hell that we can even begin to comply with this trademark policy without destroying what we've built up to date.
Let's clarify. Have you been in communication with the trademark holder? Have you asked the trademark holder for permission to use the trademark, and been turned down? What exactly has the trademark holder asked you to do that would "destroy what you have built up to date"?
It seems to me that the policy gives you a long list of cases for which you don't have to ask. And, in the remaining cases, all it says is that... you have to ask. So, have you asked?
Moreover, from a quick glance at your site it is not obvious to me that you are violating the policy even now. And, if you are, perhaps it can be fixed with a very slight branding change: Invent a company name ("JacquesCorp"), change the domain to "freedrupal5hostingbyjacquescorp.com", and suddenly you get an automatic license under Section A.2:
A. You receive an automatic license when:
The Drupal trademark is used in a domain name, title of website, title of a seminar, title of a course or title of a software package that... also mentions your trademark (or your trade name, name of your company, name of your organization, or name of your association).
[DISCLAIMER: I'm an employee of a company, Acquia, founded by Drupal's founder, Dries Buytaert. However, I do not speak for the company or the Drupal Association, and my half-baked opinions are entirely my own.]
- jacquesm 17y agoNo, I did not ask, I can read. I have simply read the requirements and have decided that we can not comply in any way and that there are terms in there that would make me stop using drupal anyway (or wish that I had never started using it). The word 'boycott' is probably applicable here. You've managed to turn a supporter first into a cautious user because of technical issues with your offerings and now into a detractor because of your ridiculous trademark policy. Think of it as the beam (not straw) that broke the camels back. When we started this section of our business this licensing policy did not even exist, we announced our existence on 'drupal.org' and received the impression that such use of the name drupal the way we do it is ok. If there would be any automatic grandfathering for sites that existed prior to this nonsensical trademark policy being dreamed up that would change the situation a little bit, but it would not change my opinion much because of the overall absolutely ridiculous statements made in the policy the way it is worded right now. Even if I could resolve the issue by changing our domain name, the name of the service or anything like that I would point blank refuse to do so because I think the policy as displayed is comparable to the use of submarine patents. There are plenty of people that have created a living around the drupal eco system, they already contribute in many ways by raising awareness, providing hosting, writing software etc. That should be enough payment for the use of the trademark in my opinion, no need to get your hands in everybody's pockets. It's a total loss strategy. Imagine Linus Torvalds, the holder of the Linux trademark creating a policy comparable with this one. The world of free and open source software has just gotten poorer.
- cousin_it 17y agoI'm currently doing research on the text. Here's the Linux policy: http://www.linuxmark.org/faq.php http://www.linuxmark.org/faq.php . It's quite a bit more permissive: it would have allowed your site to exist without applying for a license. On the other hand, if you'd started advertising your project under the trademark "Free Linux Hosting", you'd have to apply for a Linux license.
- jacquesm 17y agoI wonder how that license dealt with use of the term prior to the existence of the license.