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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!oleane!tank.news.pipex.net!pipex!in2.uu.net!news.moneng.mei.com!news.ecn.bgu.edu!newspump.wustl.edu!gumby!andrews-cc!gillham From: gillham@andrews.edu (Andrew Gillham) Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.misc Subject: Re: What is "BSD"? Date: 20 Aug 1995 18:05:58 GMT Organization: Andrews University Lines: 47 Message-ID: <417ti6$bft@orion.cc.andrews.edu> References: <CGD.95Aug20032937@balvenie.pdl.cs.cmu.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: edmund.cs.andrews.edu In article <CGD.95Aug20032937@balvenie.pdl.cs.cmu.edu> cgd@cs.cmu.edu writes: > [...] > > BSDI is the owner of the trademark "BSD" which is used > in the field of computer software. > > >According to BSDI, _NONE_ of the following can be called "BSD Systems": > > Ultrix 386BSD > FreeBSD NetBSD > Lites SunOS [34].x > >even though some of them have been considered "BSD Systems" before BSDI >was formed. Indeed, systems like NetBSD or FreeBSD would find it How does this affect 4.4BSD-lite distributions? Is UCB being required to rename this to "4.4-something-other-than-bsd-lite" This makes me sick. A term (BSD) that has been institutionalized by UCB, and some greedy SOB trademarks it! What happens to the "BSD Copyright" that we all know and love? >As far as I know, BSDi's been very quiet about their ownership of the >BSD trademark (probably for good reason). But they own it, and are >asserting their "right" to exclusive use of it. If you don't believe >me, call them up and ask them if they claim ownership of the "BSD" >name, if they've entered into such an agreement with the FreeBSD >folks, etc. Just great. Well, I will make sure that my company _never_ buys a BSDi product. >Some of you may note that there's more than just a little bit of >irony in this... So, should someone be trademarking 4.4BSD, 4.4BSD-lite, etc? Can't let the bastards trademark everything. -Andrew -- ============================ Real 32bit multi-tasking UN*X System Andrew Gillham | TCP/IP,NFS,PPP,4.4BSD-lite,multi-user gillham@andrews.edu | i386,sparc,alpha,mac68k,amiga,others LAN/WAN/NW/UN*X specialist | ---> http://www.NetBSD.org <---