[IAEP] [SLOBS] [Sugar-devel] SLOBs Position on SoaS

[Chris Ball]

Hi Sebastian,

   > In my opinion, Sugar Labs has about four options how to act wrt
   > SoaS.
   > 
   > (1) SL decides the current SoaS to be *the* SoaS and enforces the
   > brand.  (Did you know that you're able to lose a trademark when
   > not enforcing it?) Exceptions could be granted by a trademark
   > committee.

I think you're going to get seven different answers from seven
different SLOBs, but it's very reasonable to ask.

Personally, I would go with (1), establishing that SoaS is a product
of SL.

I wouldn't make any future-exclusionary statements of the form "SoaS
is going to be the only way that SL distributes Sugar"; it should be
a positive statement about how SL feels about SoaS, rather than a
negative statement about anyone else's current or future work.

I don't think I'm ready to support actually filing a trademark
application, because I think that costs at least a thousand dollars
per registration per year that we don't have and could be better
spent, and it doesn't really change much -- it seems that saying
"The SL policy on using the following terms is <this>" as a social
statement should be almost as effective as making the expensive legal
statement for us.

FWIW,

- Chris.
-- 
Chris Ball   <cjb at laptop.org>
One Laptop Per Child