[OSM-legal-talk] Trademark applications

[MJ Ray]

SteveC <steve at asklater.com> wrote:
> On 20 Jan 2009, at 11:08, MJ Ray wrote:
> > Appealing for patience is all well and good, but it sounds like if
> > Peter hadn't acted when OSMF and the trademark agent had not acted in
> > time, it might have become criminal to call some things openstreetmap
> > tomorrow!
>
> If you think I'm a total idiot, then yes, I would have tried to make  
> it criminal to use an un-granted trade mark which didn't pass the  
> uniqueness test to kill the project I started. Presumably my puppet  
> board would have gone along with it, because I control them. Mwa Mwa  
> Mwahahhahaa.

I think you're trying to secure the trademark for the whole community
to use, but either: you didn't realise the tight time limits on
registration and that some trademark infringements are now a criminal
offence; or that things are simply taking longer than anyone expected;
or any one of a number of other possibilities.

If so, then thank you, but could you please public-license the
trademark ASAP?  Even a temporary license to interested parties until
the OSMF transfer+licensing would probably avoid criminal offences.

If that's wrong, then please excuse my interruption, but I really
don't see how an unforseen consequence means anyone is an idiot.

Stuff happens.

Regards,
-- 
MJ Ray (slef)
Webmaster for hire, statistician and online shop builder for a small
worker cooperative http://www.ttllp.co.uk/ http://mjr.towers.org.uk/
(Notice http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html) tel:+44-844-4437-237