Linux Mark Institute
Encyclopedia
The Linux Mark Institute (LMI) is an organization which administers the "Linux
" trademark
on behalf of Linus Torvalds
for computer software which includes the Linux kernel
, computer hardware utilizing Linux-based software, and for services associated with the implementation and documentation of Linux-based products.
The Linux trademark is owned by Linus Torvalds in the U.S., Germany, the E.U., and Japan for "Computer operating system software to facilitate computer use and operation". The assignment of the trademark to Torvalds occurred after attorney William R. Della Croce, Jr. began in 1996 to send royalty demand letters to various Linux distributors, claiming to own the Linux trademark for which he filed in August 1994. The distributors together appealed against the original trademark assignment and had it reassigned to Linus Torvalds.
LMI originally charged a nominal sublicensing fee for use of the Linux name as part of trademarks, but later changed this in favor of offering a free, perpetual worldwide sublicense.
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
" trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...
on behalf of Linus Torvalds
Linus Torvalds
Linus Benedict Torvalds is a Finnish software engineer and hacker, best known for having initiated the development of the open source Linux kernel. He later became the chief architect of the Linux kernel, and now acts as the project's coordinator...
for computer software which includes the Linux kernel
Linux kernel
The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software....
, computer hardware utilizing Linux-based software, and for services associated with the implementation and documentation of Linux-based products.
The Linux trademark is owned by Linus Torvalds in the U.S., Germany, the E.U., and Japan for "Computer operating system software to facilitate computer use and operation". The assignment of the trademark to Torvalds occurred after attorney William R. Della Croce, Jr. began in 1996 to send royalty demand letters to various Linux distributors, claiming to own the Linux trademark for which he filed in August 1994. The distributors together appealed against the original trademark assignment and had it reassigned to Linus Torvalds.
LMI originally charged a nominal sublicensing fee for use of the Linux name as part of trademarks, but later changed this in favor of offering a free, perpetual worldwide sublicense.