localized cd: legal aspects?

Jan Vancura jenda at ubuntu.com
Tue Jan 2 10:46:25 GMT 2007


-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Mark Van den Borre wrote:
> Hi Canonical trademark lawyer, hi locoteams list,
> 
> Ubuntu-be.org has a few questions about about legal issues with
> pressing localized cds ourselves. Other locoteams might find this
> interesting, so cc-ing the list.
> 
> * Do we need a Canonical trademark license to have localized Ubuntu
> cds pressed? If it makes any difference, we are an ubuntu community
> council approved locoteam.
> * Is it acceptable to print publicity onto the cd, or to add some to
> the livecd desktop? That might help us recoup part of our investment.
> * Any other legal aspects we should think of when creating a localized
> Ubuntu cd?
> 
> Mark Van den Borre
> ubuntu-be.org

Just a note: I asked for permission for a Czech CD, and the acked it
with these conditions:
- - change the locale
- - change the packages (some are legal here which aren't elsewhere)
- - distinctly mark as different from normal Ubnutu, as in Ubuntu CZ or
Ubuntu Czech Edition et al.

I'd discourage commercial advertisements.

As a beginning lawyer, I can also say:
- - copyright: handled by the GPL or similar on most materials, permission
granted, under terms mentioned there.
- - trademark: ask Canonical at trademarks at ubuntu.com, unless your
description matches mine above, in which case I believe you can consider
 your version just as approved as mine is.
- - patents: this might even allow you to add more packages to Ubuntu,
such as some codecs, because they aren't patented in the EU.
- - industrial design: none... I recommend keeping the CD round ;)
- - trade secret: none that I'm aware of.

Cheers,

- --
Jenda Vančura <jenda at ubuntu.com>
GnuPG: 519D056A
Jabber me at jendavancura at gmail.com
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.3 (GNU/Linux)
Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org

iD8DBQFFmjgBkfxlW1GdBWoRAro8AJ9bWwDne/95OH17Y5Aksf4r2AxJZQCfa/MG
jZpyIs8xqet+F+BiZG4ER8g=
=Fsyd
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----



More information about the loco-contacts mailing list