

Tutoring company pilfers logo from Linux distro - javert
http://www.archlinux.org/static/newsletters/newsletter-2009-june.html#stolenlogo

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patryn20
The whole discussion was pointless, since the foundation members obviously
didn't have any intention of pursuing necessary actions or the fortitude to
take a firm stance. As such, all they did was waste the time of everybody
involved. Sorry, but don't bother writing a warning if you have no intention
of holding the line or negotiating a compromise.

~~~
dhimes
Furthermore, the tutoring business is very tough. I bet the problem solves
itself within 24 months.

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johnnybgoode
They interpreted the last letter this way: "It had become obvious that we were
dealing with a person unwilling to comply with our request."

I'm not so sure, however. I interpreted it as being a step away from an offer
to change the logo while still saving face.

Edit: I've sent this opinion to them; maybe it will have an effect?

~~~
jcapote
I agree, they were at most 2 more e-mails (and a law firms letterhead away)
from getting it removed.

~~~
greendestiny
I think the best punishment would be letting them keep that awful logo.

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Jem
As someone who's been lifted from many, many times I feel I should be outraged
by this... but I'm not. Given that the linux people aren't using the logo any
more, why not just charge the tutoring people X amount for the logo and drop
it?

I imagine that 'Dr. Elias' is not entirely stupid, and would realise that
paying for the logo is certainly likely to cost less than having to reprint
office stationery, get new decals for the car, etc.

~~~
sachinag
The problem is that the Linux folks haven't indicated that they'd be willing
to discuss a payment option. Sure, C&Ds are often just a beginning negotiating
tactic - but _only_ when the other side expects it. Otherwise, it's just
scary. The fact that the guy wrote back looks to be like "hey, I'm a good guy,
but I can't possibly afford to change my logo, and I'll use the irritant
language to look tough so that you pretty please don't call me on not being
able to afford to change the logo on everything".

Now, the Linux folks aren't in the business of licensing their logo, so it's
probably suboptimal to try to figure out how to do a licensing agreement.

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jrockway
I am amused by the tutor's use of the construction "would have went with" in
his response. Someone who charges money for his English instruction should
probably proofread his email (or learn grammar).

~~~
palish
And yet, you understood what he meant.

As I become a little less young, I begin to realize that perfect grammar
matters less than I used to believe. And if someone would judge me for
beginning this sentence with "And", then I probably wouldn't want to associate
myself with them anyway.

~~~
bbg
I agree with your point completely: just because you're fastidious about
grammar doesn't mean you can accomplish anything worthwhile. And anyway, most
of the 'grammatical rules' that are widely propounded are just a form of
mythology: maxims received uncritically and held up as a sign of (supposed)
education.

On the other hand, written expression is like the programming interface for
the world most of us live in: from the money we make to the business
relationships we form to the thoughts we develop, written expression is almost
always an essential means to reaching the goal. Those who can't be bothered to
adhere to arbitrary grammatical conventions often find the grander and more
abstract challenges of life inscrutable.

The Romans had an expression: "Qualis oratio, talis vir", as is the speech, so
is the man. (Seneca, _Epistulae Morales_ 19.114.1, attributes the expressions
to the Greeks: "Hoc quod audire vulgo soles, quod apud Graecos in proverbium
cessit: talis hominibus fuit oratio qualis vita.")
<http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/sen/seneca.ep19.shtml>

Despite the Latin slogan, I'm reluctant to reach a conclusion about the
tutoring proprietor based on his use of language. Maybe he had a rhetorical
reason for lapsing into grammatically half-baked jargon: he's suggesting he's
too stupid or careless to be guilty of a premeditated logo theft. I don't
know.

But...

Can you really write "If someONE would judge..., I wouldn't want to associate
with THEM..." without cringing? I've been guilty of worse, I readily admit,
but is it too fastidious and pointless to balk at such a construction?

~~~
palish
_"as is the speech, so is the man"_

I like that. Thanks for sharing.

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JMiao
i think i'm more annoyed that the guy's obviously lying through his teeth
while trying to assess how much shit he could possibly be in for.

plus, that logo is horrid. looks like something an intern/temp would have worn
on the starship enterprise.

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zouhair
As they don't use it anymore, they could ask the guy to contribute a minimum
amount of money to some cause.

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hs
will the tutoring company satisfy GPL requirement if it includes a dozen pages
of GPL license on each of its tutoring materials (vehicles, documents,
advertising, website and any other media)?

assuming such logo is GPL

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ilyak
I'd recommend leaving them alone.

I mean, you're no longer using it, why not let them too? Copyrights suck,
after all.

~~~
randallsquared
Trademarks aren't necessarily the same issue as copyright, but in this case,
it does seem like leaving them alone would be best, since they (Arch) assert
that they haven't used it since 2007. What with asking the community to
intervene, however, it's likely too late for that.

