Linux Mark Institute

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The Linux Mark Institute (LMI) is an organization which administers the "Linux" trademark on behalf of Linus Torvalds for computer software which includes the Linux kernel, computer hardware utilizing Linux-based software, and for services associated with the implementation and documentation of Linux-based products.

The Linux trademark is owned by Linus Torvalds in the U.S.,[1] Germany, the E.U., and Japan for "Computer operating system software to facilitate computer use and operation". The assignment of the trademark to Torvalds occurred after a lawsuit against attorney William R. Della Croce, Jr., of Boston, who had registered the trademark in the US in September 1995[2]:{{{3}}} and began in 1996 to send letters to various Linux distributors, demanding ten percent of royalties from sales of Linux products.[3]:{{{3}}} A petition against Della Croce's practices was started,[4]:{{{3}}} and in early 1997, WorkGroup Solutions, Yggdrasil, Linux Journal, Linux International and Torvalds appealed the original trademark assignment as "fraudulent and obtained under false pretenses".[4] By November, the case was settled and Torvalds owned the trademark.[2]

LMI originally charged a nominal sublicensing fee for use of the Linux name as part of trademarks,[3] but later changed this in favor of offering a free, perpetual worldwide sublicense.[5]

References

  1. Linux US trademark registration
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External links


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