content/about/trademark.html: update trademark policy #1990
Conversation
Git's existing trademark policy forbids using the Mark as a syllable in another word or portmanteau "without Conservancy's written permission". It similarly forbids creating and/or selling merchandise "without Conservancy's expression written permission". The quoted portions of the Policy have no legal effect, because a trademark owner may always give permission regardless of whatever policy might be in place. But they have the unintended side-effect of encouraging others to write to Conservancy and ask for an exception to one and/or the other, though such an exception is rarely (if ever) granted. Remove that portion of the trademark policy, and add a new one explaining that GitHub and GitLab are historical exceptions to the policy. Acked-by: Junio C Hamano <[email protected]> Acked-by: Christian Couder <[email protected]> Signed-off-by: Taylor Blau <[email protected]>
Could you provide a source for that? |
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We discussed this as part of the Git PLC (Project Leadership Committee) with Rick Sanders, a Conservancy lawyer. I confirm that both Junio and me agreed with this change. Thanks! |
Thank you for the confirmation. I guess there is no public record of this decision, right? |
No not yet, but perhaps when we will talk or publish a report about the state of the Git project, like we (actually Taylor) usually do before or during a Contributors' Summit, we will mention this change, along with a report about the money of the project, legal/trademark issues and so on. Please ask us questions then if we forget about it. BTW I wouldn't mind discussing it on the mailing list right now, but usually such topics peter out rather quickly there (like when we report about them at a Contributors' Summit). |
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Also we don't consider this change as a real policy change, but rather a wording change that might help people understand our trademark policy better and avoid using "Git" in their trademarks with the hope that will just accept it if they ask. |
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And this PR is public so it's some kind of public record. |
Git's existing trademark policy forbids using the Mark as a syllable in another word or portmanteau "without Conservancy's written permission". It similarly forbids creating and/or selling merchandise "without Conservancy's expression written permission".
The quoted portions of the Policy have no legal effect, because a trademark owner may always give permission regardless of whatever policy might be in place. But they have the unintended side-effect of encouraging others to write to Conservancy and ask for an exception to one and/or the other, though such an exception is rarely (if ever) granted.
Remove that portion of the trademark policy, and add a new one explaining that GitHub and GitLab are historical exceptions to the policy.
Acked-by: Junio C Hamano <[email protected]>
Acked-by: Christian Couder <[email protected]>