[License-discuss] PHP License v3.01 comments

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Henrik Ingo (henrik.ingo at avoinelama.fi):

> On Fri, Feb 6, 2015 at 7:04 AM, Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com> wrote:
> > (Jackson states in passing that PHP is not a trademark, which is almost
> > certainly a false statement on account of common-law trademark.)
> 
> A more interesting question is, which legal entity would claim such
> common-law trademark. I'm informed that the PHP Group is not really
> incorporated in any country, is that correct?

This thread is starting to depart from OSI topicality (in which I'm glad to
share the guilt), but I'll note that loose associations of individuals
without incorporation can and do own property, as a matter of
established law.  Example:  World Science Fiction Society, which owns
(or one might say 'own' in the plural) and enforces (enforce) a number
of prominent trademarks, including those relating to the term 'Worldcon'
and 'Hugo Awards'.  Those trademarks have been valid and enforced since
first use in commerce in 1953, and US Federally registered to the
Society since 1982.

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Rick Moen            but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not
rick at linuxmafia.com  what I meant."         -- S.I. Hayakawa
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