On 3/1/06, Ben Yates bluephonic@gmail.com wrote:
Poking my head in:
I don't have an particular argument, but this whole discussion feels very wrong. Wikipedia should not be acting like a corporation -- it is not trying to make a profit; its mission is to spread knowledge. Period.
I, for one, am very glad to see Wikipedia take a strong stand on trademark issues involving the wikimedia foundation. My efforts, freely given, are done so with the understanding that the effort & goal is to create a "free HIGH QUALITY encyclopedia."
The only way the high quality can be assured, and wikipedia can stay reputable (with the press penchant for negative stories) is to clearly identify what is the original source "wikimedia foundation" data/information/articles and what is not. Otherwise, forks that start with wikipedia articles and then change them (in ways that gain notoriety), or include gobs of advertising, etc., if allowed to use wikpedia trademarks, dilute the value of wikipedia in users minds, create bad press, and harm the reputation of the encyclopdia and the open edit model.
Jim