[Koha] Plea for help from Horowhenua Library Trust re: Koha

[Lori Bowen Ayre]

As much as I hate to say it, I wonder if it isn't time to give up this
fight.  The truth is that the law isn't really on the Koha community's side
on this issue because of the sale of the domain to Liblime way back when.
 That sale really makes the difference as to whether we have any legal
footing on this issue.  It is clear that the moral issue is meaningless so
hoping for others to just do the right thing isn't going to happen.  There
has already been plenty of outrage expressed by the Koha community and
clearly it hasn't made a difference.

In the interest of keeping the community on track, I strongly urge everyone
to reconsider taking up this legal battle and focusing again on Koha, the
name, instead of Koha, the software and, more important, Koha, the
community.  We lost over a year in wrangling with Liblime/PTFS and I think
the product suffered for it, as did the community.

Could we possibly find another wonderful word from the birthplace of Koha
and make a fresh start? I'm sure the same creative minds that came up with
Koha could find another word that is appropriate for this new stage of life
and we could just start fresh. Let Liblime take the word, they will never
take the community.  And the confusion between the true Koha and Liblime
Koha hurts the community a whole lot more than it hurts Liblime.

I say this with the community interests at heart.  I really believe it
would be best to walk away from this fight. Disengage and focus on what is
most important.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Lori Bowen Ayre //
Library Technology Consultant / The Galecia Group
Oversight Board & Communications Committee / Evergreen
(707) 763-6869 // Lori.Ayre at galecia.com

<Lori.Ayre at galecia.com>Specializing in open source ILS solutions, RFID,
filtering,
workflow optimization, and materials handling
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=



2011/11/21 Joann Ransom <jransom at library.org.nz>

> As I am sure most of you are aware, Horowhenua Library Trust is the birth
> place of Koha and the longest serving member of the Koha community. Back in
> 1999 when we were working on Koha, the idea that 12 years later we would be
> having to write an email like this never crossed our minds. It is with
> tremendous sadness that we must write this plea for help to you, the other
> members of the Koha community.
>
> The situation we find ourselves in, is that after over a year of battling
> against it, PTFS/Liblime have managed to have their application for a
> Trademark on Koha in New Zealand accepted. We now have 3 months to object,
> but to do so involves lawyers and money. We are a small semi rural Library
> in New Zealand and have no cash spare in our operational budget to afford
> this, but we do feel it is something we must fight.
>
> For the library that invented Koha to now have to have a legal battle to
> prevent a US company trademarking the word in NZ seems bizarre, but it is
> at this point that we find ourselves.
>
> So, we ask you, the users and developers of Koha, from the birth place of
> Koha, please if you can help in anyway, let us know.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jo.
>
> --
> Joann Ransom RLIANZA
> Head of Libraries,
> Horowhenua Library Trust.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Koha mailing list  http://koha-community.org
> Koha at lists.katipo.co.nz
> http://lists.katipo.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/koha
>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.katipo.co.nz/pipermail/koha/attachments/20111122/52508d69/attachment-0001.html>