Posted by JAS (emailed member's comments) on April 03, 1996 at 23:44:03:
In Reply to: The threat to TeamJava's name from Sun posted by JAS (from Alex Stewart) on March 28, 1996 at 11:02:47:
> 1.Product and Service Names
> Sun does not license the Java Trademarks. Please do not use them in
> the names of your products or services, or in any other trademark
> manner--e.g., "VirtualJava", "Virtual Java", or "QuickCompiler For
> JavaScript".
This means we cannot use them in the names of any products or services. TeamJava, as many team members have pointed out, DOESN’T HAVE any products and services! We are a supportive, informal, advocacy group. No different than the "Porsche Owners Club," "Team OS/2" (as pointed out by a dual member), "The Corvette Club," "Club Java," and so on. We just can’t sell anything for profit (as TeamJava)
So, any activities that we "spin-off" to get involved with the dirty
activity of earning cash, should be managed outside of TeamJava.
We will keep everybody posted. Please visit the message board and
read some of the comments, and lend your own if you wish.
Regardless of the outcome, if our using the name TeamJava begins to
create any *hint* of negative association, we will drop its use and
acquiesce to Sun. But until then, it’s ours.
---
FROM SEVERAL MEMBERS:
I am no lawyer but have long followed name conflicts, etc., and I don't
think the use of TeamJava is a conflict with Sun's interests, unless we
are "selling a product" by this name, or otherwise trying to use it
directly for profits. I'd think this would fall into most user group
and special interest group naming conventions, i.e., Corvette Owners
Club.
How about we get proactive and contact Sun ourselves? They might
appreciate knowing that there is such a dedicated group of cool developers
anxious to promote their product. They might even be able to offer some
support/help.
First of all, we can get some help from Sun, and they'd probably give us
some, as we're BOTH trying to publicize "Java", and that's the ultimate
goal of Sun..... and we're NOT making any profit in doing so... and we've
NO conflict of interest or what so ever......
Perhaps we could continue to call part of ourselves team java but have anything
that might cause problems with sun auspicously take place under the guidance of
a differently named group. One idea might be to keep team java as an advocates
group which sun should have no problem with since advocacy groups are informal
by nature and change the name of TJAB to something without java in its name.
The renamed TJAB could then lay down things like standards "based on input"
from team java members.