[moocowduckquack]

This applies to everyone.

Obviously it does not apply to everyone. Desmond Tutu, for instance is the patron of a very different Ubuntu foundation - http://www.saubuntu.co.za/ - and I doubt that Mark will be sending him any takedown notices anytime soon. Ubuntu itself is also an existing word that is free to use in its original context. Added to this, even if you are using the word ubuntu to mean the company Ubuntu, then in pretty much anywhere in the world you can use a trademarked word to criticise the thing it trademarks, otherwise critics would have a really hard time writing reviews. Criticism is plainly not imitation and it is imitation that trademark law legislates on.

[ewzimm]

I am just describing their policy, which they link to in the email to clear up confusion: http://www.canonical.com/intellectual-property-policy

You will require Canonical’s permission to use: (i) any mark ending with the letters UBUNTU or BUNTU which is sufficiently similar to the Trademarks or any other confusingly similar mark, and (ii) any Trademark in a domain name or URL or for merchandising purposes.

[. . .]

You can use the Trademarks in discussion, commentary, criticism or parody, provided that you do not imply endorsement by Canonical.

You can write articles, create websites, blogs or talk about Ubuntu, provided that it is clear that you are in no way speaking for or on behalf of Canonical and that you do not imply endorsement by Canonical.

[hdevalence]

I'm glad that Canonical has graced me with permission to talk about Ubuntu. /s

[ewzimm]

I understand your distaste for Canonical. I don't like their policies either, and I support the FSF in encouraging people to use completely free distros like Trisquel whenever possible. However, I think it's important that we be fair in criticism. They have a very specific complaint, and I think we should address that directly.

Canonical should be criticized for the bad things they do and praised for the good things they do in the hopes that they will improve in the future. If we just set ourselves against them and criticize their every action because of who they are, it will only increase the division between them and the larger free software community. It's a division that needs to be mended. Without their work, free software distributions like Trisquel would not be possible.

trisquel.info