Bid to trademark the word ‘Linux’ rejected
We all know Linux as the open source operating system, but can you believe someone in Australia tried to trademark the name? To make matters worse when I looked up Linux on Dictionary.com I got this; “A trademark for an open-source version of the UNIX operating system.” When I go to the United States Patent and Trademark Office and search for linux I don’t see any trademarks. Are you confused yet? Basically the term Linux has not been trademarked and the website dictionary.com is wrong saying it is a trademark. Whew!
An attempt by Australia’s peak Linux body to register the name “Linux” on behalf of Linus Torvalds has failed. The application was turned down by Intellectual Property Australia, a federal regulatory agency, because the word “Linux” was not seen as distinctive enough to be trademarked. The registration would have prevented companies from claiming the name as their own, but would have allowed them to use it commercially if they paid royalties to the Linux Mark Institute, a global body established by Torvalds, creator of the open-source operating system.
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