[Foundation-l] Wikimedia/Wikipedia trademarks?

[Nathan Awrich]

I'm less interested in the issue as it relates to fair use (which, by
its nature, doesn't require input from the WMF) but commercial or
other use (a la Wikipedia Review, if they sell ads - do they?). The
blanket permission is, as David notes, convenience rather than a
requirement. But if the WMF doesn't protect its trademarks, then
someone could dump the software and database and set up a new site and
call it 'Wikipedia.'

On Dec 18, 2007 3:49 PM, Brian McNeil <brian.mcneil at wikinewsie.org> wrote:
> David Gerard wrote:
> > On 18/12/2007, Brian McNeil <brian.mcneil at wikinewsie.org> wrote:
>
> >> Most cases are like this, newspapers are often a case where they can use
> >>the
> >> logo under fair use provisions (as we do on Wikinews for Google &c). Yes,
> >>we
> >> need to encourage people to ask, yes we need to be generous in granting
> >> rights to use, and NO, we don't want to persecute people who in ignorance
> >> use the logo unless it is to defame the Foundation.
>
>
> >Yeah. These are fair use anyway, but they keep asking, so we put a
> >blanket permission on the press page of wikimediafoundation.org ;-)
>
> If they keep asking, especially where they could ignore us and claim free
> use, then we keep cooperating. It gives us an access into these news
> organisations where we have been reasonable with their requests and to
> reciprocate they simply have to listen to us. If we're generous about use of
> the logos and just ask for a right to reply we're going to catch a lot more
> media groups. They may want to run the bad press because it generates the
> page views, but if WMF is saying, "let us have our say and you can use the
> logo" then they are going to come to us for comment.
>
> If you can understand that not all bad press is bad for the foundation then
> you probably understand what I'm trying to get at. From my perspective one
> of the last things we want to do is make the press think we are secretive or
> likely to hide things from them.
>
>
> Brian McNeil
>
>
>
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