Debian Allows Trademark Use For Commercial Activities

sfcrazy writes "According to the new trademark policy, Debian logos and marks may now be used freely for both non-commercial and commercial purposes. Stefano Zacchiroli, current Debian Project Leader and one of the main promoters of the new trademark policy, said 'Software freedoms and trademarks are a difficult match. We all want to see well-known project names used to promote free software, but we cannot risk they will be abused to trick users into downloading proprietary spyware. With the help of SPI and SFLC, we have struck a good balance in our new trademark policy. Among other positive things, it allows all sorts of commercial use; we only recommend clearly informing customers about how much of the sale price will be donated to Debian.'"

Does it actually change anything ?

[alexhs]

Does it actually change anything ?

The widely recognized ("official") logo was already the open [debian.org] one, while nobody uses the "restricted" logo.

The new trademark policy [debian.org] states: You cannot use Debian trademarks in any way that suggests an affiliation with or endorsement by the Debian project or community, if the same is not true.
But the official logo doesn't imply endorsement, that's what the restricted logo does. Or isn't the logo part of Debian's trademark ?

Or is it newspeak for an actual restriction of rights ?

Re:good move

[CheshireDragon]

Yes! I did read the owners manual to my car. That is why I know it has 156HP and a 13.7gal fuel tank. There is a lot more I know about it, but that's irrelevant. Pretty much useless knowledge until I decide to sell it...if I ever do. It's a really nice car and I like it a lot.

It's sad that I am one of the few who still reads things these days. You should try it, you'll learn a lot about things.