Submission + - SFLC vs. Conservancy - Trademark conflict over SOFTWARE FREEDOM (lunduke.com)
curcuru writes: The Software Freedom Law Center (SFLC) has petitioned to cancel the trademark registration of the Software Freedom Conservancy (Conservancy). No matter how you look at it, this kind of lawsuit is a loss for software freedom and open source in general, since this kind of USPTO trademark petition (like a lawsuit) will tie up both organizations, leaving less time and funds to help FOSS projects.
There's clearly more to the issue than the trademark issue; the many community member's blog posts make that clear.
The key point in this USPTO lawsuit is that the legal aspects aren't actually important. What's most important is the community reaction: since SFLC and Conservancy are both non-profits who help serve free software communities, it's the community perception of what organizations to look to for help that matters. SFLC's attempt to take away the Conservancy's very name doesn't look good for them.
Bryan Lunduke's video today covers the whole case, including his investigation into the two organizations and their funding.
There's clearly more to the issue than the trademark issue; the many community member's blog posts make that clear.
The key point in this USPTO lawsuit is that the legal aspects aren't actually important. What's most important is the community reaction: since SFLC and Conservancy are both non-profits who help serve free software communities, it's the community perception of what organizations to look to for help that matters. SFLC's attempt to take away the Conservancy's very name doesn't look good for them.
Bryan Lunduke's video today covers the whole case, including his investigation into the two organizations and their funding.
