On 1/23/2018 8:01 AM, andy pugh wrote:
On 23 January 2018 at 03:26, Rod Webster <r...@vehiclemods.net.au> wrote:
This link seems to confirm the Etherlab invocation is GPLv2 so you may be
right!
https://etherlab.org/en/ethercat/index.php
Etherlab and SOEM are both GPL (or want to be)
The problem is with Beckhoff who own the EtherCAT trademark and
technology.
Yes, but you can't patent or protect "technology". You can protect an
implementation of technology via a patent and you can restrict the use
of a Trademark in the marketing or sale of something. If you
acknowledge the trademark when used (you see that all of the time as
notes at the end of documents) then I think that keeps you in the clear
of the Trademark.
http://www.ipwatchdog.com/2014/02/15/protecting-ideas-can-ideas-be-protected-or-patented/id=48009/
LinuxCNC is not for sale, so I think that all we are concerned about is
the freedom of the software to be used and altered without
restrictions. I don't see how a Trademark could do that. LinuxCNC
only needs to say something like "EtherCat is a Trademark of
Beckhoff".... in the docs someplace. Heck, stick it in the source code
and be done with it.
Hey, we are already doing that on this webpage >
http://linuxcnc.org/community/
>>>
LINUX® is the registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in the U.S. and
other countries. The registered trademark Linux® is used pursuant to a
sublicense from LMI, the exclusive licensee of Linus Torvalds, owner of
the mark on a world-wide basis.
The LinuxCNC project is not affiliated with Debian. Debian is a
registered trademark owned by Software in the Public Interest, Inc.
The LinuxCNC project is not affiliated with UBUNTU. UBUNTU is a
registered trademark owned by Canonical Limited.
<<<<<
And we are already dealing with Licenses as well as you can see. :-)
Dave
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