Asterix, the Gall - The Strange History of Linux and Trademarks (from Tux Deluxe)

Open Source

Written by Nicolas Jondet

Thursday, 29 March 2007 18:46

Richard Hillesley of Tux Deluxe , explains the history of the Linux/Unix trademarks and how Mobilix fought and lost against Asterix, the French comics classic, the right to use the suffix "ix" in a trademark.

Richard Hillesley: "In June 2001, MobiliX, a website based in Germany and dedicated to Unix on mobile systems, received a request from a German law firm claiming to represent Les Éditions Albert René of Paris, demanding that MobiliX unregister its name or risk legal action.

The grounds for this action were that Les Éditions Albert René is the holder of the trademarks Asterix and Obelix, as associated with the comic book characters of Asterix the Gaul - and that the MobiliX name, in particular the use of the suffix 'ix', infringed these trademarks. One has to assume that to the French ear MobiliX sounds like rhyming slang for Obelix, because MobiliX was not a registered trademark of Les Éditions Albert René. Nor was MobiliX in competition with Asterix or Obelix, who are comic book characters. "

http://tuxdeluxe.org/node/107

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