Live data from Hacker News

LegoOS: A Disseminated, Distributed Operating System

legoos.io

41–50 of 83 posts

Re: LegoOS: A Disseminated, Distributed Operating System

#42

Alternate names: BlocksOS, DistrOS, DistribOS,BuildOS I'd suggest cloning the repo locally, as when this gets TOS'd for obvious trademark issue, Github's deletion won't hit your local machine (but will also nuke forks on GH). Cool project, poor choice in name.

BrickOS

At least, that's what SE calls them for their site bricks.stackexchange.com.

Re: LegoOS: A Disseminated, Distributed Operating System

#43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You broke their rules by not adding a trademark symbol after the word LEGO. You'll be receiving a C&D letter from their legal team shortly. :) Some of their rules are ridiculous, for instance I have to use all upper case and am not allowed to use the word as a noun, for instance to call them "Legos" (I must say LEGO™ bricks, even though many of the pieces are not at all brick shaped). Sorry but no. That said, I'm sur…

Trademark, not copyright. These are two very different things with quite different rules.

Ha, oops. I know that, I must be undercaffeinated today. I edited, thanks.

Re: LegoOS: A Disseminated, Distributed Operating System

#44
post #35

LEGO have a very friendly[1] explanation that they must pursue legal action to protect their trademark internationally. They have rules about using their trademark in names, logos, websites and URLs. [1] https://www.lego.com/en-sg/legal/notices-and-policies/fair-p...

I wouldn’t blame them. The project even goes as far as to so show LEGO-like bricks on the webpage.

[deleted]

Re: LegoOS: A Disseminated, Distributed Operating System

#45
post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As DMCA stands for Digital Millennium Copyright Act, trademarks are outside its scope. There have actually been successful counterclaims under section 512(f) against companies using the DMCA to police trademark infringement. All that said, an old-fashioned cease and desist letter from Lego is most certainly incoming.

Honestly, I would rather get an email from my hosting company saying my project has been taken down after receiving a DMCA notice than get a visit from a process server saying that a huge corporation has filed a suit against me. Not having a DMCA for trademark means that the process server is very, very likely to knock on your door for naming something after Lego.

Fortunately, it’s highly unlikely you’d be the target of a suit right off the bat. A cease-and-desist is just a warning that, should you continue what the sender considers to be infringing, they intend to file a suit.

Re: LegoOS: A Disseminated, Distributed Operating System

#47

LEGO have a very friendly[1] explanation that they must pursue legal action to protect their trademark internationally. They have rules about using their trademark in names, logos, websites and URLs. [1] https://www.lego.com/en-sg/legal/notices-and-policies/fair-p...

Time for them to pivot into using the latin verb "legō".

Although they will have to purge the pictures of lego bricks.

Even then they might not be safe. Legal trolls like Bethesda would go after you for making scrollOS.

Re: LegoOS: A Disseminated, Distributed Operating System

#48

LEGO have a very friendly[1] explanation that they must pursue legal action to protect their trademark internationally. They have rules about using their trademark in names, logos, websites and URLs. [1] https://www.lego.com/en-sg/legal/notices-and-policies/fair-p...

You broke their rules by not adding a trademark symbol after the word LEGO. You'll be receiving a C&D letter from their legal team shortly. :) Some of their rules are ridiculous, for instance I have to use all upper case and am not allowed to use the word as a noun, for instance to call them "Legos" (I must say LEGO™ bricks, even though many of the pieces are not at all brick shaped). Sorry but no. That said, I'm sur…

They don't want their trademark turning into a noun (or a verb), just like Velcro doesn't want their trademark to be used to refer to "hook and loop" [1]. It's not unreasonable for them to try to protect their trademark.

1 - https://youtu.be/rRi8LptvFZY

Re: LegoOS: A Disseminated, Distributed Operating System

#49

LEGO have a very friendly[1] explanation that they must pursue legal action to protect their trademark internationally. They have rules about using their trademark in names, logos, websites and URLs. [1] https://www.lego.com/en-sg/legal/notices-and-policies/fair-p...

Really makes one wonder how a project like this can go on this long without this obvious problem coming up.

How many hours were spent writing an OS (not a trivial task), plus making this nice looking website and graphics, plus all the research papers cited etc? They even went to a conference!

Re: LegoOS: A Disseminated, Distributed Operating System

#50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trademark infringement. They could argue it is a different category than the toy company, but I think that line of argument is already lost given they are using LEGO style bricks on the website.

Its funny when you think about whats fair in this kind of stuff. For example if you use AppleSomething, apple is a fruit, was a famous record label before being a famous computing brand. As theres a fruit before anything else, you can argue why you could have some rights over the brand. If is AppleOS of course you can have trouble because Apple the IT company have a OS and they might argue this is a common way people…

From https://www.lego.com/cdn/cs/legal/assets/blt1a4c9a959ce8e1cb...

  > The LEGO trademark is considered
  > a famous trademark in a number of
  > jurisdictions. In some indicated in a
  > registration certificate or included on a
  > list of famous trademarks, but most often
  > confirmed through decisions rendered
  > in specific cases. It means that the
  > LEGO trademark has the widest possible
  > protection, i.e. for all goods and services,
  > and that we should be able to prevent
  > others from using the LEGO trademark,
  > not just for toys, but for any goods.
Post reply on HN