View source for Organization:Linux Mark Institute

{{Short description|Organization which administers the "Linux" trademark}}
{{Infobox company
| name = LMI Oregon, LLC
| type = [[Social:Limited liability company|Limited liability company]]
| homepage = {{URL|www.linuxmark.org}}
}}

The '''Linux Mark Institute''' ('''LMI''', fully "LMI Oregon, LLC"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oregoncompanies.org/lmi-oregon-llc|title=LMI OREGON, LLC in Oregon|website=Oregon Companies|access-date=2017-03-31}}</ref>) is an organization which administers the "''[[Software:Linux|Linux]]''" [[Social:Trademark|trademark]] on behalf of Linus Torvalds for computer [[Software|software]] which includes the [[Software:Linux kernel|Linux kernel]], computer hardware utilizing Linux-based software, and for services associated with the implementation and documentation of Linux-based products.

== Trademark ==
The ''Linux'' trademark is owned by Linus Torvalds in the U.S.,<ref>{{US trademark|74560867|Linux US trademark registration}}</ref> 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 a lawsuit against attorney William R. Della Croce Jr., of Boston, who had registered the trademark in the US in September 1995{{r|resolved}} and began in 1996 to send letters to various Linux distributors, demanding ten percent of royalties from sales of Linux products.{{r|iw}} A petition against Della Croce's practices was started,{{r|action}} and in early 1997, WorkGroup Solutions, Yggdrasil, Linux Journal, [[Organization:Linux International|Linux International]], and Torvalds appealed the original trademark assignment as "fraudulent and obtained under false pretenses".<ref name="action">{{cite news |title=Action Taken on Linux Trademark |issue=35 |date=1 March 1997 |first=Phil |last=Hughes |newspaper=Linux Journal |url=http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/2098}}</ref> By November, the case was settled and Torvalds owned the trademark.<ref name="resolved">{{cite news |first=Marjorie |last=Richardson |title=Ownership of Linux Trademark Resolved |url=http://www.linuxjournal.com/article/2559 |newspaper=Linux Journal |issue=43 |date=1 November 1997}}</ref>

== History ==
LMI originally charged a nominal sublicensing fee for use of the Linux name as part of trademarks,<ref name="iw">{{cite news
  | author = Neil McAllister
  | title = Linus gets tough on Linux trademark
  | url = http://www.infoworld.com/article/2671387/operating-systems/linus-gets-tough-on-linux-trademark.html
  | work = InfoWorld
  | date = 2005-09-05
  | access-date = 2016-09-02
}}</ref> but later changed this in favor of offering a free, perpetual worldwide sublicense.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = http://www.linuxmark.org
 | title = Linux Mark Institute
 | access-date = 2008-02-24
 | quote = LMI has restructured its sublicensing program. Our new sublicense agreement is: Free — approved sublicense holders pay no fees; Perpetual — sublicense terminates only in breach of the agreement or when your organization ceases to use its mark; Worldwide — one sublicense covers your use of the mark anywhere in the world
}}</ref>

LMI was headquartered in Monterey, California until at least 2005.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.linuxmark.org/forms/linux_licence_doc.html |title=Linux Sublicense Agreement |website=www.linuxmark.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041009214636/http://www.linuxmark.org/forms/linux_licence_doc.html |archive-date=2004-10-09 |url-status=dead |access-date=2005-10-09 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lwn.net/Articles/140670/|title=Changes at the Linux Mark Institute|date=June 22, 2005|website=LWN.net|access-date=2017-03-31}}</ref> Since at least 2009 it was headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.linuxfoundation.org/programs/legal/trademark/sublicense-agreement |title=Sublicense Agreement {{!}} The Linux Mark Institute |website=www.linuxfoundation.org |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090905082428/http://www.linuxfoundation.org/programs/legal/trademark/sublicense-agreement |archive-date=2009-09-05 |url-status=dead |access-date=2017-03-31 }}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{Linux}}

[[Category:Linux organizations]]



{{Sourceattribution|Linux Mark Institute}}