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

[MJ Ray]

Lori Bowen Ayre <lori.ayre at galecia.com>
> 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.

And when should we stop running away and stand our ground, exactly?

Before private corporations use trademarks to limit all languages?

How weak should we let their claims be before we dispute them?

We should take care of this beautiful Koha, defend this lovely gift
from Horowhenua, so far as we are reasonably able.  As the original
commissioner, I think HLT was a joint first user of the mark in NZ and
Koha has been in continuous use in their libraries, so it's absurd to
try to deny them use of it, isn't it?

It was a tactical error that the .org domain went to the supply side
of that original relationship and it was a tactical error to let
Liblime register a dodgy US trademark despite other earlier US Koha
developers.  Nevertheless, HLT still used the mark as part of
delivering their library services in Horowhenua for all this time.

Why should US corporations get away with such outrageous
expropriation?  If there was no HLT, there would probably have been no
Koha LMS, so there would have been no business for Liblime to buy and
thus no Liblime for PTFS to buy!

I'll put this to the co-op's next meeting, but my view is clear:
Occupy Koha!
-- 
MJ Ray (slef), member of www.software.coop, a for-more-than-profit co-op.
Webmaster, Debian Developer, Past Koha RM, statistician, former lecturer.
In My Opinion Only: see http://mjr.towers.org.uk/email.html
Available for hire for various work through http://www.software.coop/