Update: A HUGE thanks to Daniel for providing some EXTREMELY beneficial information and a list of links that at face value confirm what I assumed was probably the case… This is another case, similar to the recent O’ReillyGate incident in which standard, legal, and ethicial business practices continued to take place during a time when ANYTHING that even remotely smells like an attempt to “own” and idea, or a phrase, term, etc… both looks and quacks just the same.

I’m all for DuckTyping, but StereoTyping is something that I think we all can state is not the kind of trait we should seek after in life. To each of our defense, we want to live in a free culture…. bottom line.

This is a good thing.

We just need to come to a greater understanding, myself included, of what a “Free Culture” really looks, smells, and quacks like, and find a way to realize,

“There’s one!”

“err wait…

“Those DAMN Platypus! They’re always mucking things up!”

“Quack”

“Theres a Duck… GET IT!!!”
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[Original Post]
Monday: A new week begins.. - Desktop Team - by Desktop Team

here?

Regarding the old RSS icon: Mozilla would like us (and other users of it) to sign an agreement on the use of the feeds icon. We fully respect their rights to the icon and will not use it as long as this isn’t sorted out.

Good for you Opera! And good for you for not using this as an opportunity to bash the competition, and instead use respectful phrasing to make your point.

Dear WW:*,

Unlike what seems like pretty much all of you (although I know its not), before passing judgement, it seems pretty important to hear both sides of the story, and to gain some background on TradeMark, Service Mark and Copyright laws, and the requirements that are placed upon you when, in fact, you have such marks of your trade that fall into your particular corporate domain.

For example, a domain name would fall into this category. In fact, thats exactly what the State of California made sure could not be used as a way of holding a corporation, or any other entity for that matter, ransom by registering domain names that included your companies TradeMark name (like, for example, Google) and then use various tactics to “force” a corporation to pay-up or run risk of losing face due to a “rare, yet unfortunate DNS incident in which somehow ‘accidentally’ got pointed to a porn site, or a competitors site, or [fill_in_the_blank].”

Anyway, back to the topic at hand.

Yo Moz… What gives? Is this a typical “We simply have to protect our interests” type deal to ensure this icon isn’t used in ways that might seem as if they represent the Mozilla corporation, when in fact they don’t?

If yes, fair enough… That’s part of your responsibility as a TradeMark, Service-Mark, or even a simple Copyright holder.

If no… Please fill us in with all the juicy details :D

My guess is that Opera feels pretty strong about not wanting to sign any type of agreement. But Opera is also based in a country who actually thinks about the impact on the culture first, putting free culture first, and the interests of corporations that go against a free culture somewhere other than first.

With this in mind, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit to discover that this is the exact reason for the holdout. Then again, I know this >< much about this situation, and I can’t afford the time to research the topic right at this moment, so I’m hoping that this post will help encourage someone who happens to know the story behind this to fill the rest of us in.

Anyone?

Thanks in advance!

Oh, and to everyone else… Please don’t judge first, ask questions last, and blow off answers that go against what you *believe* is the truth, regardless of what the facts happen to be. Seriously, you’re not helping solve the *REAL* problems by turning *PERCEIVED* problems inside out and making them look-and-feel like the real problems when, in fact, there just the opposite.

Thanks in advance for your respect to the various entities involved with this situation who more than likely still deserve your respect, whether you agree with the lawyers opinions on the various matters. Like it or not, lawyers perform a pretty important function in this world of ours.

For example, Lawrence Lessig is a lawyer. Is there anyone on this planet who can better represent the interests that we, as free culture enthusiasts, desire to be brought into reality?

Nope! (although there are certainly some pretty good candidates who deserve quite a bit of credit for all the work they do, so please don’t take that comment to mean that I feel otherwise.)

For every Ambulance chaser there are folks like Professor Lessig who are fighting for the right things. For example, fair copyright laws. Not *NO* copyright laws. *FAIR* copyright laws.

There is a difference.

Please don’t forget this.

Thanks!