Debian–Mozilla trademark dispute: Difference between revisions

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== History ==
== History ==
=== Origins of the issue and of the Iceweasel name ===
=== Origins of the issue and of the Iceweasel name ===
Mozilla Corporation enforces trademarks and claims the right to deny the use of the name "Firefox" and other trademarks to unofficial builds.<ref name=MozillaTrademarkPolicy>{{cite web | url=http://www.mozilla.org/foundation/trademarks/policy.html | title=Mozilla Trademark Policy}}</ref> Unless distributions use the [[binaries]] supplied by Mozilla or else have special permission, they must [[compile]] the Firefox source with an option enabled which gives Firefox a different name and does not use the official logo or other artwork.<ref name=MozillaTrademarkPolicy>{{cite web | url=http://www.mozilla.org/foundation/trademarks/policy.html | title=Mozilla Trademark Policy}}</ref>
The main issue between [[Mozilla Corporation]] and [[Debian]] is Debian's refusal to use official Firefox logos within their distribution. The restrictions placed on the logos conflicted with Debian's [Free Software Guidlines|Debian Free Software Guidelines]. This decision also conflicted with Mozilla Corporations Trademark Policy which state that in order to use the Firefox trademark, the use of the Firefox logo is mandatory. [http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=354622]


This policy led to a long debate within the [[Debian Project]] in [[2004]] and [[2005]]. During this debate, the name "Iceweasel" was coined to refer to rebranded versions of Firefox. The first known use of the name in this context is by Nathanael Nerode<ref name=naming>{{cite web | url=http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2004/02/msg00279.html | title=Nathanael Nerode 27 Feb 2004 email to debian-legal}}</ref>, in reply to [[Eric Dorland]]'s suggestion of "Icerabbit".<ref name=naming2>{{cite web | url=http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2004/02/msg01876.html | title=Eric Dorland 27 Feb 2004 email to debian-devel}}</ref> It was intended as a parody of "Firefox".<ref name=gzhome>[http://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/ Gnuzilla Homepage]</ref> Iceweasel was subsequently used as the example name for a rebranded Firefox in the Mozilla Trademark Policy<ref name=MozillaTrademarkPolicy>{{cite web | url=http://www.mozilla.org/foundation/trademarks/policy.html | title=Mozilla Trademark Policy}}</ref>, and became the most commonly used name for a hypothetical rebranded version of Firefox. By [[2005]]-[[01-01]], rebranding was being referred to as the "Iceweasel route".<ref name=naming3>{{cite web | url=http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2005/01/msg00010.html | title=Joel Aelwyn 01 Jan 2005 email to debian-legal}}</ref>
This policy led to a long debate within the [[Debian Project]] in [[2004]] and [[2005]]. During this debate, the name "Iceweasel" was coined to refer to rebranded versions of Firefox. The first known use of the name in this context is by Nathanael Nerode<ref name=naming>{{cite web | url=http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2004/02/msg00279.html | title=Nathanael Nerode 27 Feb 2004 email to debian-legal}}</ref>, in reply to [[Eric Dorland]]'s suggestion of "Icerabbit".<ref name=naming2>{{cite web | url=http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2004/02/msg01876.html | title=Eric Dorland 27 Feb 2004 email to debian-devel}}</ref> It was intended as a parody of "Firefox".<ref name=gzhome>[http://www.gnu.org/software/gnuzilla/ Gnuzilla Homepage]</ref> Iceweasel was subsequently used as the example name for a rebranded Firefox in the Mozilla Trademark Policy<ref name=MozillaTrademarkPolicy>{{cite web | url=http://www.mozilla.org/foundation/trademarks/policy.html | title=Mozilla Trademark Policy}}</ref>, and became the most commonly used name for a hypothetical rebranded version of Firefox. By [[2005]]-[[01-01]], rebranding was being referred to as the "Iceweasel route".<ref name=naming3>{{cite web | url=http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2005/01/msg00010.html | title=Joel Aelwyn 01 Jan 2005 email to debian-legal}}</ref>

Revision as of 05:44, 18 September 2007

"Iceweasel" redirects here. For the GNU IceWeasel browser, see GNU IceWeasel.

In 2006, a naming conflict between Debian and Mozilla evolved when Mike Connor, representing the Mozilla Corporation, enforced the trademarks to deny the use of the name "Firefox" to the Debian Project if it retained its habits. The Debian Project refuses Mozilla's terms and rebranded the Mozilla programs: Firefox to Iceweasel, Thunderbird to Icedove and SeaMonkey to Iceape. These changes are implemented in the current version of Debian (Etch).

History

Origins of the issue and of the Iceweasel name

Mozilla Corporation enforces trademarks and claims the right to deny the use of the name "Firefox" and other trademarks to unofficial builds.[1] Unless distributions use the binaries supplied by Mozilla or else have special permission, they must compile the Firefox source with an option enabled which gives Firefox a different name and does not use the official logo or other artwork.[1]

This policy led to a long debate within the Debian Project in 2004 and 2005. During this debate, the name "Iceweasel" was coined to refer to rebranded versions of Firefox. The first known use of the name in this context is by Nathanael Nerode[2], in reply to Eric Dorland's suggestion of "Icerabbit".[3] It was intended as a parody of "Firefox".[4] Iceweasel was subsequently used as the example name for a rebranded Firefox in the Mozilla Trademark Policy[1], and became the most commonly used name for a hypothetical rebranded version of Firefox. By 2005-01-01, rebranding was being referred to as the "Iceweasel route".[5]

The term "ice weasel" appeared earlier in a line fictionally attributed by Matt Groening to Friedrich Nietzsche: "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come."[6]

Debian was given permission to use the trademarks, and adopted the Firefox name.[7] However, because the artwork in Firefox has a proprietary copyright license which is not compatible with the Debian Free Software Guidelines, the substituted logo had to remain.[8]

Gnuzilla IceWeasel release

In August 2005,[9] the Gnuzilla project adopted the IceWeasel name for a browser based on Firefox[9] using free artwork.

The first Gnuzilla IceWeasel release was based on Firefox 1.5.0.4.[10]

Trademark agreement revocation

In February 2006, Mike Connor, representing the Mozilla Corporation, wrote to Debian and informed them that Mozilla did not consider the way in which Debian was using the Firefox name to be acceptable.[11] Connor confirmed that the Mozilla Corporation was revoking the previous agreement with Debian which allowed them to use the Firefox name. Further messages from Mike Connor clarified Mozilla's current policies: "Yes,if you are shipping a browser called Firefox, we should be signing off on every deviation from what we ship."; and "If you are going to use the Firefox name, you must also use the rest of the branding." Debian could not use the logo because of the Debian Free Software Guidelines.

The "Iceweasel" name was revived in the Debian community as a possible name to give the rebranded version of Firefox. The Iceweasel used in Etch is not the GNU application of the same name but a rebranded Firefox created by Debian. The Debian maintainer has stated that he will "get in touch with them to see what we can do together".[12] Because exactly the same problems required that Debian rename Mozilla Thunderbird and SeaMonkey, the names Icedove and Iceape were coined and used to rename those two applications.

Rebranding

According to packages.qa.debian.org, Iceweasel, Icedove and Iceape were first accepted into the Debian project's unstable repository on 2006-11-20, on 2006-10-14 and on 2006-12-01, respectively. Icedove migrated to Etch and Thunderbird was removed on 2006-11-11. Iceape migrated to Etch on 2007-01-11 (the old Mozilla suite having previously been removed on 2006-10-06). Iceweasel migrated (and Firefox removed) on 2007-01-18. Debian's first stable release to include Iceweasel, Icedove, and Iceape was Debian 4.0 (Etch), released 2007-04-08.

Soon after the renames Debian also replaced Mozilla's unbranded logos with new logos designed to fit with the new names.

Resulting products

Iceweasel
Developer(s)Debian Project
Stable release
2.0.0.6-0etch1 / 2 August 2007
Operating systemLinux, GNU and variants
Typeweb browser
LicenseMPL/GPL/LGPL tri-license
Websitepackages.debian.org/buster/iceweasel Edit this on Wikidata

Debian's Iceweasel, Icedove and Iceape are respectively based on Mozilla's Firefox, Thunderbird and SeaMonkey.

The rebranded products still use some Internet-based services from Mozilla, including the Mozilla plugin finder service, Mozilla Add-Ons and notification of updates. There has also been no change to how non-free components, such as Flash, are found or used.

Licensing

The rebranded programs are available under Mozilla's standard MPL/GPL/LGPL tri-license. Unlike Mozilla, the default icons are under the same tri-license.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b c "Mozilla Trademark Policy".
  2. ^ "Nathanael Nerode 27 Feb 2004 email to debian-legal".
  3. ^ "Eric Dorland 27 Feb 2004 email to debian-devel".
  4. ^ Gnuzilla Homepage
  5. ^ "Joel Aelwyn 01 Jan 2005 email to debian-legal".
  6. ^ Groening, Matt (1986). Love Is Hell. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0394744543.
  7. ^ "Gervase Markham 14 Jun 2005 email to debian-devel".
  8. ^ "Gervase Markham 19 Jun 2005 email to debian-devel".
  9. ^ a b "Gnuzilla/IceWeasel Project Application".
  10. ^ "IceWeasel 1.5.0.4 Download location".
  11. ^ "Debian bug report started by Mozilla and containing much information on the Iceweasel issue".
  12. ^ "Facts about Debian and Mozilla® Firefox®".

External links

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