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Python trademark at risk in Europe

pyfound.blogspot.ca

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Re: Python trademark at risk in Europe

#31

Post by egor83 »

VanL wrote: post #2

I (and probably several other) members of the board will be on this thread to answer any questions. Van Lindberg Chairman, Python Software Foundation Edit: I have been asked what sort of statements would be helpful. I can't tell you exactly what to say - it needs to be your statement, but we need to make it clear that when someone says "Python" in relation to software, or a "Python server," or with "Python experience…

Is it possible to put a link to this post on Python news page?

http://python.org/news/

I'm going to forward this to some people working with Python in Europe, and I guess a link to the homepage might look more credible that to a blog.

Re: Python trademark at risk in Europe

#32

Post by nonamegiven »

Europe seems to see Python as the name of a computer langauge.

CERN uses Python.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=cern+python

They developed the PythonRoot package: http://alcaraz.home.cern.ch/alcaraz/PythonRoot/

It's probably of interest that this and many other Python packages have the word "Python" in the name of the package. I would hate to have to wonder whether PythonCoolPackage was for the Python language, or for interaction with some random company who chose Python as their trademark. I know that if something says Python today it's most likely to do with the language.

The EuroPython Conference is certainly about the language. There are probably other European conferences where you can assume that Python means Python.

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=epc2006+python

(pdf) https://downloads.egenix.com/python/EPC2006-Developing-Unico...

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=python+conference+europe

Airbus is hiring. They want people with Python on their resume:

http://www.airbus.com/work/experienced-candidates/opportunit...

I think Python means Python in Europe.

Re: Python trademark at risk in Europe

#33

Post by VanL »

avar wrote: post #25

It's unclear from this whether or not Python would have to change the name of the programming language if they didn't get the trademark, or whether this UK company would just have the right to call their products "Python" too. Early in the article it says: "There is a company in the UK that is trying to trademark the use of the term "Python" for all software, services, servers... pretty much anything having to do wit…

Our main point of contention is that they are claiming that the right to be the sole source of "Python" software, servers, and services. We have reached out to them to try to reach some accommodation (they can be "Python backup services," for example) but they are not willing to take us seriously.

Re: Python trademark at risk in Europe

#34

Post by pdknsk »

This is mostly OT, but when browsing python.org for listed corporate sponsors, I noticed that some characters like ä or é are rendered as diamonds. This is because the page charset is utf-8, but the mentioned characters are encoded in iso-8859-1.

http://python.org/psf/donations/

Yeah, minor as can be, but IMO when someone donates they should've have spelled their name right. I'm reporting this here because someone who can fix this is most likely reading.

PS. IMO there is not much reason to worry. Python has so many friends. Google should buy the company and close it.

Re: Python trademark at risk in Europe

#36

Post by detst »

Lewisham wrote: post #30
antihero wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Surely at least some part of their stack is built using Python, so couldn't you tell them that they may not use the software if they are going to proceed with this?

That's not how the open-source movement works. You can't start excluding people based on usage you don't like. If you do that, you're explicitly not following open-source ideals.

"Sue us and your license is revoked" is quite a reasonable provision, IMHO.

Edit: if you're going to down-vote, at least read my clarification below.

Re: Python trademark at risk in Europe

#37

Post by lloeki »

VanL wrote: post #2

I (and probably several other) members of the board will be on this thread to answer any questions. Van Lindberg Chairman, Python Software Foundation Edit: I have been asked what sort of statements would be helpful. I can't tell you exactly what to say - it needs to be your statement, but we need to make it clear that when someone says "Python" in relation to software, or a "Python server," or with "Python experience…

FWIW, I am regularly contacted to be hired as a Python developer (notably by Luxembourg folks). Throughout job offers in computers, there is no ambiguity as to what Python means.

Re: Python trademark at risk in Europe

#38

Post by VanL »

lloeki wrote: post #37
VanL wrote: post #2

I (and probably several other) members of the board will be on this thread to answer any questions. Van Lindberg Chairman, Python Software Foundation Edit: I have been asked what sort of statements would be helpful. I can't tell you exactly what to say - it needs to be your statement, but we need to make it clear that when someone says "Python" in relation to software, or a "Python server," or with "Python experience…

FWIW, I am regularly contacted to be hired as a Python developer (notably by Luxembourg folks). Throughout job offers in computers, there is no ambiguity as to what Python means.

Do you have any old offers of employment that you could share? The more and the older the better.

Re: Python trademark at risk in Europe

#39

Post by MichaelGG »

detst wrote: post #36
Lewisham wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not how the open-source movement works. You can't start excluding people based on usage you don't like. If you do that, you're explicitly not following open-source ideals.

"Sue us and your license is revoked" is quite a reasonable provision, IMHO. Edit: if you're going to down-vote, at least read my clarification below.

It's not at all - that means you're ceding many rights to the authors of the software. Suppose I want to use open source X from Company Y, and they had that provision. Then I find that Company Y is pirating my software, slandering, hacking our servers - if I sue them, I now lose my license?

Why would I build on something that lets the owner act against me with relative impunity (assuming the software is something critical)?

Re: Python trademark at risk in Europe

#40

Post by adamt »

I am from the UK and been programming in Python since before that domain was registered and happy to help.

Am I missing something, if you go to Amazon.co.uk and search for "python" (not just in books, but a top level saerch) - (e.g. http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%...) the top results are all books about the Python programming language published in the UK.

Similarly search for "Python" on any Uk based jobs site

http://jobsearch.monster.co.uk/jobs/?q=Python&cy=uk http://www.technojobs.co.uk/search.phtml/Python/searchfield/...

(can provide many more such links if you need)

There is no doubt about what Python means.

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