Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!psuvax1!psuvm!BITNIC!CONKLIN
From: CONKLIN@BITNIC.BITNET (Jim Conklin)
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.policy-l
Subject: Re: What's in a name
Message-ID: <POLICY-L%90021212183753@BITNIC.BITNET>
Date: 12 Feb 90 17:13:03 GMT
Sender: Discussion about BITNET policies <POLICY-L@BITNIC>
Reply-To: Discussion about BITNET policies <POLICY-L@BITNIC>
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Approved: NETNEWS@PSUVM Gateway
In-Reply-To:  Your message of Thu, 8 Feb 90 18:08:53 EST

>On Thu, 8 Feb 90 16:51:16 EST Jim Conklin said:
>> Probably someone should be writing to vendors and magazines which don't
>>properly show the trademark symbol when they use these trademarks.  Any
>>volunteers out there; we certainly don't have time for that level of
>>follow-up at the moment!
>
>Writing to vendors and magazines is the job of Cren Corporate Counsel.
>They may legally say they are reprsenting the board.  A volunteer
>cannot do this.
>
>BITNIC could act as a collection agency for reports of trademark
>misuse (which it would then forward to counsel).  This seems in line
>with their acting as an information center (to the board).
>
>> I don't believe the trademark ownership gives us the right to define
>>standards, but operation of the network probably does if the Board decides
>>it wants to do so (it's on the agenda!)
>
>It may not give you the right to define standards, but it does give
>you the right to not allow some vendor to use it in their advertising.
>This means that instead of writing:
>
>   We support all the protocols in the world, including those used by
>   BITNET ...
>
>they would have to write
>
>   We support all the protocols in the world, including those used by
>   the B.. network.
>
>This may seem like a small thing, but it is actually fairly powerful
>if the board is willing to *LICENSE* use of the trademark (for
>dollars, pesos, or whatever the local currency is).

Good points, John.  Thanks.
                           Jim