| Freespire changes name, Linspire goes free (as in beer) for a time |
Aug. 31, 2005
In a short story with a happy ending, the developer of a "free" version of Linspire called Freespire has agreed to change the name of his project, and Linspire Inc. is offering free copies of Linspire Linux "for a few days" (details below).
Freespire, which first popped up on Distrowatch.com last week, originally described itself as a free variant of Linspire Linux, with proprietary components and trademarks removed.
But the "Freespire" name was too close for comfort for Linspire, which is no stranger to trademark issues, having gone through a lengthy confrontation with Microsoft that resulted in its name change from Lindows Inc. to Linspire Inc. last summer.
"I found out about [Freespire] a few days ago when I returned from a business trip," Linspire CEO Kevin Carmony told DesktopLinux.com. "My reaction? It was no different than when I see people take code from any of our open source projects (Nvu, Lphoto, Lsongs, etc.). It's a good thing. I worried about the name."
Following a conversation with Carmony, Betts agreed to change the project's name.
"'Freespire' was the term I gave to a private project I had been working on," explains Betts on his website. "The project was comprised of various open source components, taken from the freely available source repository for the Linspire operating system. Somehow my project got submitted to Distrowatch.com as a bona-fide Linux distribution. I can only assume whoever did this had good intentions, unfortunately it was done without my consent."
"The Freespire project is changing its name, as it is creating confusion and misunderstanding," Betts states on the Freespire site, which was blank or inaccessible from Friday midday until Tuesday night. "The new name is under discussion ... a temporary codename of 'Squiggle' has been assigned to the project." Betts is currently accepting suggestions for a new name for the project at the Squiggle general discussion site on Linspirenetwork.com.
Third-party license concerns
Carmony said he "shared a couple of emails with Andrew Betts and told him Linspire supported his project, but just to make sure and work with our people so he didn't distribute any of the third-party licensed software."
Linspire has licenses with Sun Microsystems, Apple, Microsoft, Bitstream, and others to distribute products such as Java, Flash, Real, Windows Media, fonts, QuickTime, mp3, even some licensed songs and photos, Carmony said.
"Andrew (Betts) was very helpful in working with us to make sure and not violate any of the third-party licenses. We don't want to upset any of our licensees, and Andrew certainly understood and was very cooperative. We also discussed how the name 'Freespire' was confusing, as it implied you were getting a 'free' copy of 'Linspire,' which isn't certainly the case. When you remove parts of Linspire, it's clearly not Linspire any longer. He voluntarily agreed it would be a good idea to change the name, which he told me he's planning on doing. I know he also didn't want people to assume Linspire was behind his project," Carmony told DesktopLinux.com.
Linspire goes free (as in beer) "for a few days"
Carmony told DesktopLinux.com that in response to the Freespire situation, Linspire is now offering those following the Freespire story a coupon for a free version of Linspire, good "for a few days." Linspire updated its coupon page Wednesday to say the offer will end on Sept. 6.
"We thought it would be fun, for all of those who were looking at this project, to experience a true 'Freespire,' to give away a free digital copy of Linspire for a few days!" Linspire says on the coupon web page.
Related Stories:
(Click here for further information)
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
