Firefox trademark shenanigans (Re: Any chance of getting Firefox 2.0 into rawhide/FC6?)

[Konstantin Ryabitsev]

On 9/28/06, Rahul Sundaram <sundaram at fedoraproject.org> wrote:
> Konstantin Ryabitsev wrote:
> > "If you are going to use the Firefox name, you must also use the rest of
> > the
> > branding."
> >
> > We can't use the rest of the branding, because it's non-free.
> >
>
> So is the Debian and Fedora's branding. The branding is part of the
> trademarks. It cannot be free or it becomes diluted and you lose the
> trademark. Strict enforcement is *required by law*.

I'm not sure what we are arguing. Here's my logic:

1. Firefox artwork has a non-free license (not DFSG compliant).
2. Firefox trademark name MUST be used in conjunction with the logo.
3. If Fedora is to follow similar guidelines as Debian (which it
claims), then 1 and 2 conflict.

Moreover, I am also saying that:

1. Software released under the name "Firefox" has very strict
restrictions about the patches that may or may not be applied to it.
Any patch that isn't approved by MozCo cannot be applied to Firefox.
2. I consider this to be against the spirit of Fedora. Fedora is about
"freedom" and "all patches must be approved by Mozilla Corporation" is
not freedom.
3. MozCo provides a simple way around it by offering a compile-time
flag that removes all branding, so repackagers can have complete
freedom about the patches that they apply and don't apply to their
software.
4. Debian *IS* doing that, and I'm arguing that we should follow suit.

Regards,
-- 
Konstantin Ryabitsev
Montréal, Québec