From owner-freebsd-current Fri Sep 12 00:40:14 1997 Return-Path: Received: (from root@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) id AAA13379 for current-outgoing; Fri, 12 Sep 1997 00:40:14 -0700 (PDT) Received: from palrel3.hp.com (palrel3.hp.com [156.153.255.219]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.7/8.8.7) with ESMTP id AAA13370 for ; Fri, 12 Sep 1997 00:40:09 -0700 (PDT) Received: from postbox.india.hp.com (postbox.india.hp.com [15.10.45.1]) by palrel3.hp.com (8.8.5/8.8.5tis) with ESMTP id AAA20224 for ; Fri, 12 Sep 1997 00:40:02 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <199709120740.AAA20224@palrel3.hp.com> Received: from localhost by postbox.india.hp.com with ESMTP (1.39.111.2/16.2) id AA167569787; Fri, 12 Sep 1997 13:06:27 +0530 To: freebsd-current@freebsd.org Subject: Re: HEADS UP: *tetris* files removed from cvs repository Date: Fri, 12 Sep 1997 13:06:27 +0530 From: A Joseph Koshy Sender: owner-freebsd-current@freebsd.org X-Loop: FreeBSD.org Precedence: bulk pw> Due to the legal 'situation' with the trademark owner, all files with pw> "tetris" in the name have been rather hastily removed from the cvs tree. At first I thought this was a joke :(. I'm not very familiar (or impressed) by the US legal way of doing these things, but why would a source file with `tetris' in its name be a violation of some companies trademark? The last I noted, the FreeBSD project wasn't selling any product using the product name `tetris'. The implications of this `situation' are ridiculous; does this mean that I cannot save my days work in a file named `footetris' without running the risk of legal action?. How many other trademarks and servicemarks do I need to keep in mind when minding my own life? How many other files in the FreeBSD source tree are to be deleted as one or the other corporation begins to assert their ``intellectual property rights''? Will the current deletions form a precedent that could be used against the project at a later time? Now, I can understand the reluctance of the FreeBSD team to get into a legal scrap out of which only the local lawyers on both sides can profit. But as a project we need to protect our efforts, and I would hate to see FreeBSD die because of the imcomprehensibility of any particular societies legal system. Would it help to move the "administrative center" (whatever that means) of the FreeBSD project to a country with a saner legal system? Some of the european countries (eg:- Sweden) have societies with a better record in these matters. Where will this trend end, and how best do we protect FreeBSD from being destroyed by similar direct/indirect threat? A similar incident that comes to mind is the removal of MIDI files of W. Classical pieces by american composers from some of the prominent classical MIDI sites on the 'net. Even music (as opposed to specific performances) can be `owned' by corporations in the US, it seems :( :(. Similarly the recent US patents on traditional medicines available on the Indian subcontinent, (despite there being documented use of these in indian society for about 5000 years :(). An Indian agency fought against some of the patents in US courts and won in a few cases, but the whole process was ruinously expensive. Either way, it looks like we have to pay someone in the US, either lawyers or corporations to use Indias own natural resources, under the current ``intellectual property'' scheme. Koshy My Personal Opinions Only!