From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Return-Path: X-Spam-Checker-Version: SpamAssassin 3.4.0 (2014-02-07) on aws-us-west-2-korg-lkml-1.web.codeaurora.org X-Spam-Level: X-Spam-Status: No, score=-2.3 required=3.0 tests=DKIM_INVALID,DKIM_SIGNED, HEADER_FROM_DIFFERENT_DOMAINS,MAILING_LIST_MULTI,SPF_PASS,URIBL_BLOCKED, USER_AGENT_MUTT autolearn=ham autolearn_force=no version=3.4.0 Received: from mail.kernel.org (mail.kernel.org [198.145.29.99]) by smtp.lore.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 8921AC0044C for ; Thu, 8 Nov 2018 02:36:13 +0000 (UTC) Received: from vger.kernel.org (vger.kernel.org [209.132.180.67]) by mail.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 4593E20827 for ; Thu, 8 Nov 2018 02:36:13 +0000 (UTC) Authentication-Results: mail.kernel.org; dkim=fail reason="signature verification failed" (1024-bit key) header.d=thunk.org header.i=@thunk.org header.b="lSWTo/l5" DMARC-Filter: OpenDMARC Filter v1.3.2 mail.kernel.org 4593E20827 Authentication-Results: mail.kernel.org; dmarc=none (p=none dis=none) header.from=mit.edu Authentication-Results: mail.kernel.org; spf=none smtp.mailfrom=linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org Received: (majordomo@vger.kernel.org) by vger.kernel.org via listexpand id S1728672AbeKHMJX (ORCPT ); Thu, 8 Nov 2018 07:09:23 -0500 Received: from imap.thunk.org ([74.207.234.97]:51768 "EHLO imap.thunk.org" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1728611AbeKHMJX (ORCPT ); Thu, 8 Nov 2018 07:09:23 -0500 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; q=dns/txt; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=thunk.org; s=ef5046eb; h=In-Reply-To:Content-Type:MIME-Version:References:Message-ID: Subject:Cc:To:From:Date:Sender:Reply-To:Content-Transfer-Encoding:Content-ID: Content-Description:Resent-Date:Resent-From:Resent-Sender:Resent-To:Resent-Cc :Resent-Message-ID:List-Id:List-Help:List-Unsubscribe:List-Subscribe: List-Post:List-Owner:List-Archive; bh=8LJupz1PryDoRgzkcUUNeXGuxp5H6fMM86vYXWhaDgQ=; b=lSWTo/l5w1/6Yi4f1StnO0F4oo PxWAZjlDGfgodpTyZ+72YW3XU1xU1Alch/o8QoUXCv6iFNXYrBepi4aCX0R5b+C0fNfKe5pZEmX0I 2CH7MU2eXEjMaBApDXmNVYw5sDUWQrB/3ClqKum49g6+A5qN7D9LkvL+VQQ53VCay+QY=; Received: from root (helo=callcc.thunk.org) by imap.thunk.org with local-esmtp (Exim 4.89) (envelope-from ) id 1gKaAy-0005Qj-RB; Thu, 08 Nov 2018 02:36:08 +0000 Received: by callcc.thunk.org (Postfix, from userid 15806) id 4689E7A7D2C; Wed, 7 Nov 2018 21:36:07 -0500 (EST) Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2018 21:36:07 -0500 From: "Theodore Y. Ts'o" To: Vito Caputo Cc: linux-kernel Subject: Re: [QUESTION] Microsoft, WSL, and the Linux trademark Message-ID: <20181108023607.GA22459@thunk.org> Mail-Followup-To: "Theodore Y. Ts'o" , Vito Caputo , linux-kernel References: <20181108010608.mlcjfwwsdwt2nee5@shells.gnugeneration.com> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <20181108010608.mlcjfwwsdwt2nee5@shells.gnugeneration.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.10.1 (2018-07-13) X-SA-Exim-Connect-IP: X-SA-Exim-Mail-From: tytso@thunk.org X-SA-Exim-Scanned: No (on imap.thunk.org); SAEximRunCond expanded to false Sender: linux-kernel-owner@vger.kernel.org Precedence: bulk List-ID: X-Mailing-List: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org On Wed, Nov 07, 2018 at 05:06:08PM -0800, Vito Caputo wrote: > In reading the news today, I stumbled across an article talking about a > $20 "linux-based distro" app for Windows 10. > > This is just a bundled userspace for WSL, there is no actual Linux in > this thing, yet the trademarked Linux name is used throughout. > > Did Microsoft license the trademark or something? Did I miss a memo? > Does their joining the Linux Foundation as a Platinum member two years > ago include such use of the trademark? > > I'm confused by what seems to be total silence about what _appears_ to > be an obvious large-scale trademark abuse in everything WSL-related. > > Could somebody informed please shed some light on this? For information about for the Linux Trademark, please see: https://www.linuxmark.org/ I'll note that while Microsoft's Subsystem for Linux does not *contain* Linux, it certainly can run Linux binaries. WSL is not unique in that regard. Google's gVisor, which is used[1] in Google Compute Engine's App Engine is implemented in Go and is a Userspace Kernel, that can also run Linux binaries. [1] https://cloud.google.com/blog/products/gcp/introducing-app-engine-second-generation-runtimes-and-python-3-7 I can't speak to whether Microsoft registered and received a sublicense for WSL, or not. Per the FAQ[2] on the Linux Mark Institute's web site, it would appear that anyone who wants to use Linux in a product name, whether it's "Red Hat Enterprise Linux" or "SuSE Linux Enterprise Server" must request a free sublicense and agree to the terms of the Sublicense Agreement[3]. Technically, "Windows Subsystem for Linux" is not product name, but a feature. I'm not a trademark lawyer, so I can't speak to whether this would be required or whether it would fall under Fair Use of a trademark. For certain, it would appear to me that "WLinux", Microsoft's distribution derived from Debian, would be much like "Red Hat Enterprise Linux" as requiring a trademark sublicense. If you have further questions that are not answered by the FAQ, the web site directs people to send inquiries to trademarks@linuxfoundation.org. [2] https://www.linuxmark.org/programs/legal/trademark/faq [3] https://www.linuxmark.org/programs/legal/trademark/sublicense-agreement Cheers, - Ted