Transcript FAIR USE of TRADEMARK in OSS

FAIR USE of TRADEMARK in OSS
Xue Ji
Chinese Academy of Engineering
[email protected]
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BACKGROUND
While an open source license may give you
complete freedom to modify and distribute code, it
can never give you freedom to distribute modified
code under the licensor’s trademark, or the rights
in the trademark will eventually evaporate.
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BACKGROUND
Trademark Law
 Open Source Software v.s. IPR
Copyright Law
(document)
Trademark
Patent Law
Document
&
Code
Linked with
hardware
OSS
Antitrust Law
OSS
Enterpise
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License
FAIR USE of TRADEMARK in OSS
Contract
Law
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BACKGROUND
a dilemma - GPL v.s. Trademark Law
dilemma
OSS license
e.g. GPL
Trademark
Law
copy and distribute
VERBATIM copies of the
Program’s source code
can not USE a trademark
without grant
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In Practice
 Integrated develop environment
KERNEL
From
OSS
society
Reserving
Trademarks
In source code
Compiling
Packaging
Integrating
Selling
As a
New software
Wipe off\Replace
Trademarks
in source code
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Legal Analysis
KERNEL
From
OSS
society
wipe off\replace, illegal?
Compiling
Packaging
Integrating
Selling
As a
New software
Wipe off\Replace
Trademarks
in source code
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Legal Analysis
wipe off\replace, illegal?
1. Reverse Counterfeit

Replacing others’ registered
trademark without grant, and selling
which in the market means REVERSE
COUNTEREIT, which is TRADEMARK
INFRINGEMENT.
--Chinese Trademark Law
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Legal Analysis
wipe off\replace, illegal?
wiping off\replacing the
trademarks in source code
=Reverse Counterfeit
=Trademark Infringement
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Legal Analysis
KERNEL
From
OSS
society
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Compiling
Packaging
Integrating
wipe off\replace, illegal?
Wipe off\Replace
Trademarks
in source code
Selling
As a
New software
Against the OSS
License e.g. GPL
Reverse Counterfeit
Breach the Contract
Trademark
Infingement
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Legal Analysis
reserving, legal?
Reserving
Trademarks
In source code
KERNEL
From
OSS
society
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Compiling
Packaging
Integrating
FAIR USE of TRADEMARK in OSS
Selling
As a
New software
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Legal Analysis
reserving, legal?
Reserving the trademarks in the source code
STEP 1
USING in Trademark Law？
YES
NO
STEP 2
Trademark Infringement?
No legal Defense
Trademark Infringement
Legal Defense
Legal
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Legal Analysis
reserving, legal?
 STEP 1 Reserving=Using?



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Interpretation to Chinese Trademark
Law,
Item 52nd—
Using a same or similar trademark on
a same or similar goods, without grant,
leads to trademark infringement.
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Legal Analysis
reserving, legal?
Traditional view:
copying a trademark ‘hidden’ in source code≠USING a
trademark

USING: copying a trademark on package,
container or contract, or putting a trademark on
advertisement.
--Chinese Trademark Law

USING: For a software, using means copying a
trademark on dialog box, title bar or copyright
page when the software is running.
--Judicial Interpretation of Beijing Prime Court
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COPYING A TRADEMARK IN SOURCE CODE=USING
OSS enlarged the scale of USING a trademark
The Source Code is facing all the users
in OSS, while in traditional area, the
source code is ‘hidden’.
OSS
enterprise
market
Source
Code
OSS
society
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COPYING A TRADEMARK IN SOURCE CODE=USING
OSS enlarged the scale of USING a trademark
OSS：
Copying the
Trademark
Hidden in
Source Code.
SOFTWARE：
Displaying the
Trademark on title
bar, Dialog box
Or Copyright
Page when running.
Traditional Goods：
Copying the trademark on the package, container or advertisment.
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COPYING A TRADEMARK IN SOURCE CODE=USING
 Conclusion：
copying a trademark hidden in
Source Code=USING
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Legal Analysis
reserving, legal?
Reserving the trademarks in the source code
STEP 1
USING in Trademark Law？
YES
NO
STEP 2
Trademark Infringement?
No legal Defense
Trademark Infringement
Legal Defense
Legal
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Legal Analysis
reserving, legal?

STEP 2
USING a trademark in source code=FARI USE ?

Descriptive Use

Indicated Use
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DESCRIPTIVE USE
1. DESCRIPTIVE USE

A trademark used as general title, figure or showing
the goods’ quality, function, or other descriptive
feature means a descriptive trademark.
－－Chinese Trademark Law

A trademark which is descriptive can be fair use.
－－USA Lanham ACT
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DESCRIPTIVE USE
Descriptive Use of OSS trademarks as LINUX

LINUX is on the process to apply as registered
trademark in
China.

LINUX has transited to a frequently used term on the
Internet and do not clearly demonstrate trademark
usage.

We should descriptively use LINUX, which is FAIR USE.
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INDICATIVE USE
1. INDICATIVE USE
 A trademark to indicate the purpose of goods or
service, especially to show the origin of the
components, can be used indicatively.
--EU
 A auto accessory shop may use the auto’s trademark
indicatively, in a non conspicuous way.
--CHINA
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INDICATIVE USE
2. CASE

To show the true information about the CMOS
chip, the computer enterprise often USE the
trademark of the chip enterprise on the
computer.

INTEL：
encourage other computer enterprise using
the trademark as INTEL INSIDE.
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INDICATIVE USE
3. Providing to be Indicative Use?
Providing 1:
The aim is to convey the true information of
the goods to the consumer.
Providing 2:
The consumer will not confuse the owner
of the trademark with the user of the
trademark.
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INDICATIVE USE
4. Indicative Use of the OSS= FAIR USE
1.
Most OS License need ‘reserve all the marks verbatim’ is to convey the true information of
the OSS, rather than promote their software goods as an advertisement.
－－providing １
2.
Providing 1：aim to offer true
tothe
society, then modify it and redistribute it. information
Thus, when facedof
of the
a OSgoods
trademark,
consumer.
consumer can not regard any relation between the trademark
USER and the OWNER, not
The OPENESS of OSS means that, everyone can get others’ source code from the OS
to mention confuse them.
－－providing２
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Providing 2: The consumer will not
confuse the owner of the trademark
with the user of the trademark
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CONCLUSION
Reserving the trademarks
In the source code
= USING
Descriptive Use
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Indicative Use
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CONCLUSION
 Copy and Distribute VERBATIM copies
of the Program’s source code
= FAIR USE
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FAIR USE of TRADEMARK in OSS
THANK YOU！
Xue Ji
Chinese Academy of Engineering
[email protected]
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致谢
本论文在研究过程中得到了北京大学 张平女士的极大
帮助，也希望各位老师能够提出宝贵意见！多谢！
联系人：姬学
[email protected]
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