Actually there are two sets of CDs. The first set contains 3CDs which contains the RH LInux 9 OS. The logo is printed only on these CDs. The OS is not customized. It is copied as it is in the RedHat's site. The second set contains a single CD with packages developed by CDIT. This CD doesn't bear the logo of RedHat. The Akshaya project is completely a non-commercial initiative and as I have said earlier there is nothing in copying the logo. Manilal
Apparently, there are two CDs. One containing RPM binaries + sources of packages created by C-DIT for the Akshya project. The quote above apparently refers to this CD.
The other contains a customised version of RH. The first quote apparently refers to this CD. Hope I got it right. Then I take it that the letter from RH refers to the CD containing the OS.
May be, you distribute the ISO as it is from RH site; but, as pointed elsewhere, the RH trade mark policy does not permit that wholesale.
Maybe, C-DIT/Akshya is not charging anything for the CDs themselves. But whether one is doing a `commercial activity' is decided by the Courts by looking into other factors too.
But more than the Courts, we need to look into the ethical issues involved. RH does not like their logos to be used; the logos are not under a free license. Do not distribute them. Period. End of distribution.
The costs to be paid to the free software developer community by going ahead with such distribution will be high. The entire geographical region will have to bear that. Can we afford it??
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Manilal posts:
The Akshaya project is completely a non-commercial initiative and as I have said earlier there is nothing in copying the logo.
The Akshaya Project is a trap and the deployment of Redhat will be on a commercial basis. Redhat is justified in sending letters to concerned persons, restraining from further deployment on a commercial scale. Redhat would also take action on persons who have violated their trademark clauses, by rampantly copying their registered Logo.
Any distribution that makes it tedious to redistribute, either by using trade marks or other legal impediments that prevent the joy of sharing free software, may simply be rejected as non-existent. The propaganda as though there is no life without a particular distribution does not take into consideration the long history and achievements of the free software movement. Akshya sets goals like availability of an intrenet connection and PC within 2KM range of every household in the State of Kerala. Using free software in such a project should indeed be highly desirable and if the distribution chosen by the project is unfit for the purpose for more reasons than which meets our eyes, what are the alternative distributions available to a project like Akshaya that aims at taking technology nearer to the common man?
At this point, we should also discuss, how a more equitable sharing of resources could be achieved. Many of the core utilities like gcc, gdb, fileutils and other shells are developed and maintained by the GNU Project. X, the GUI base in free software is possible only because of the XFree86 project. Nobody thanks or thinks of them. There are several project teams that develop utilities that make free software work well for a wide range of users and platforms. The self-less service of the developer teams of these projects are the real blood and sweat behind free software, and almost all these projects will survive only with substantial support. Since states have started taking an interest in free software, it would be an ideal time to address this issue also, as to how states could make better use of free software, and how atleast a portion of the substantial savings over choosing non-free software could go towards supporting various free software projects.
Some time ago, RMS wrote to "The Hindu" as follows:
<quote>
Dear Editors
Your Sep 27 article, When "Piracy" Funds Terrorism, violated a basic principle of journalism: not to make an accusation without positive grounds. It accused unauthorized CD producers of funding terrorism, but cited no grounds for this ... ... ...
... ... ... But we must reject the attempts to demonize those who copy, whether it means saying they support terrorists or simply calling them "pirates", because this propaganda campaign doesn't stop with commercial copiers. Its real target is you and me--anyone who sometimes copies a record. The real terror campaign is being mounted by the record companies, which are suing hundreds and perhaps soon thousands of ordinary people in the US. It aims to make people so frightened that they do not dare share with their friends. Helping one's friends is part of human nature, so it takes a lot of fear to make people stop.
I hope that the citizens of India will insist on keeping India safe from record company terror.
</quote>
[ quoted from: http://gnu.org.in/pipermail/fsf-friends/2003-October/001220.html ]
I am not sure if "The Hindu" published this, but the Editor N. Ram, at a public meet said that it is "Time to define press freedom", "To sustain the faith, the templates of principles such as factual reporting verification, deep investigation and objectivity will have to be upheld." The report of Indian Express now invites some lessons on factual reporting. I cannot understand why the public should be fed with vague feeds, without substantial grounds, accusing the C-DIT of illegally copying software, when both the GPL and the RedHad corporation allows it, and is quite lawful. The free software movement has a very distinctive "feel good" factor that prevails because of free sharing in the community. Anyone who hampers the spirit simply has not understood the free software movement, and needs to be educated about the free software movement and its history. Indian Express would do well to visit http://www.gnu.org and get to know the free software movement. While we can understand the anxiety of newpapers to publish sensational news, reports without factual basis cannot be excused. I am reminded of what Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote in "The Lost World", through the cast of Professor George Edward Challenger [GEC]. I would like to share this bit from an interview in the story, between a journalist and the professor:
[quoted below is the narrative of the journalist in the story who hides his identity and seeks to inteview Prof. GEC:]
<quote>
[Prof GEC:].. `I suppose you are aware,' said he, checking off points upon his fingers, `that the cranial index is a constant factor?' [Journalist:] `Naturally,' said I. `And that telegony is still sub judice?' `Undoubtedly' `And that the germ plasm is different from the parthenogenetic egg?' `Why, surely!', I cried and gloried in my own audacity. `But what does that prove?' he asked, in a gentle, persuasive voice. `Ah, what indeed?' I murmured. `What does it prove?' `Shall I tell you?' he cooed. `Pray do.' `It proves,' he roared, with a sudden blast of fury, `that you are the rankest imposter in London - a vile, crawling journalist, who has no more science than he has decency in his composition!' ...
</quote>
One should read the whole work to enjoy the wit and comedy! Reasoning with facts need not be only through books on logic - it can be more easily learnt through the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The media provides us with news and a few laughs every now and then, but when they exceed their limits and make baseless accusations, they cause needless damage that should be taken up seriously and remedied to prevent further harm.
-K. Ramanraj.
References:
http://www.cdit.org http://www.akshaya.net http://www.gnu.org
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Manilal K M -
Raghavendra Bhat -
Ramanraj K