Linux Mark Institute
The Linux Mark Institute (LMI) - also: Linux Trademark Institute - is an organization based in Oregon ( USA ), which was founded to enforce trademark rights for the name Linux and to issue licenses for the use of the name.
task
In contrast to the Linux Foundation , which essentially takes care of the coordination of the technical development of the Linux kernel , the Linux Trademark Institute serves to market and legally secure the name Linux .
history
In 1994 and 1995, various people and companies in different countries had - in some cases successfully - registered the brand name "Linux" for themselves. Because of these entries and the associated rights, they wanted to demand license payments from companies that had "Linux" in their name. Since many developers and supporters of the Linux community did not agree with this, Linus Torvalds took action against these entries internationally with the help of Linux and was awarded the Linux trademark (in Germany and the USA ). After receiving the trademark rights , Linux International managed them . The Linux Mark Institute was later founded for this purpose .
License model
In 2000 Linus Torvalds laid down the basic rules for granting licenses. These state that anyone who offers a product or service called Linux must have a license for it and therefore buy it. Exceptions are non-commercial uses that receive a free license or do not require one. In the meantime, however, all licenses are free and unlimited in time. The granting of a license is subject to the condition that the licensees acknowledge Linus Torvalds' ownership of the name, do not contest this fact legally and mark the authorship of Torvalds in the appropriate place.