Renamed(?) version of RHL?

[dysharmonic]

Cheap Linux 8.0 (Psyche) US$6.95 US$4.95

Click to enlarge
Cheap Linux 8.0 (aka Psyche 8.0) is a 100% unmodified copy of a famous Linux distro. It was renamed in order to avoid any trademark violations.

Cheap Linux takes ease of use, reliability and security to the next level. With expanded device support, security and tools, Cheap Linux is the Linux standard built for technical workstations as well for general use. It now comes with Bluecurve, the new user interface which gives consistent looks and feel.

Version: 8.0 (Psyche)

I quoted this right from a site that sells d/loadable versions of Linux/BSD, operating on local shores over here. I'm not saying that this is against the GPL or anything, for I know not much of it, but there must be an explanation here :)

Thanx.

[ph34r]

Yeah. You can do anything you like wiht any linux distro basically - including renaming it to whatever you like and redistributing it. That is what they have done. They just don't want to use the other name, because that name is protected by copyright/patent/whatever.

Mandrake did/does the same thing. Haven't played with it since early versions (6/7), but the installer was a 100% ripoff of RH.

[Raoul_Duke]

RedHat have asserted their copyrights over the name RedHat.....thus anyone else who distributes it can't package it as a redhat product

[dysharmonic]

But they're selling those CDs in their unmodified copies, why not just lable them RedHat 8 instead of going the extra mile of renaming those copies?

Take for example if I'd like to start my own shop selling Linux copies, d/loadable off the net, would I need to rename e.g. the RedHat CDs?

[El_Cu_Guy]

For commercial distros, yes. As you are not a licensed/official reseller of their product you have no right to use their trademarks and/or copyrights.

The other complaint from Red Hat is that these resellers would make no mention that official support was not offered (as RH doesn't offer free limited support for downloaded versions).

[Artimus]

I would much rather see it called Cheap Linux 9.0 than Linux 9.0... Of course, seeing it listed like always gets to me for some reason.

[dysharmonic]

They're also selling other distros, up to 35, in all, such as Mandrake, Slackware, Debian, Peanut etc. but these CDs are sold w/ their original names, and there are no mentions of avoiding trademarks violations.

I'm just a bit curious...

[BaVinic]

If I could find the e-mail I would post a copy of it here, but when I stated selling Linux Distro's from my site, I got a nice but firm e-mail from Red hat "asking" that I not use their company name or Logo in the description field, or on the CD's that I sell. they were not rude or demanding, just made a request, which I honored. So now I sell it as Blue-cap Linux 8.0 and 9.0 with no complaints.

Mandrake had made a simular request, but retracted their request. I'm not sure why?.


BaVinic

[bwkaz]

Somebody else also sells Red Hat, but they brand it as Pink Tie instead. I'm sure there are others.

Interestingly enough, there is also a separate distro used a lot in China, named Red Flag. It's not (that I know of, anyway) actually the same as Red Hat -- just to make it more confusing. ;)

[Cadillac84]

Most "retail" distros contain some copyrighted material, and if I were to make "dupes" of my SuSE 8.2 Professional CDs or DVDs, I believe that to sell those* would be a copyright violation and if I distributed in the U.S. in Interstate Commerce, I could be charged and probably convicted in federal court.

Many such distros are available for download -- and even from the publisher's website -- when it is no longer the current distro.

Personally, I have bought el cheepo CDs from places like Linux Mall and have been sucessful in getting a proper install. I have also downloaded distros, but life is too short when you can buy a CD for so little.

In fact, when you can buy retail boxes with nice books for as little as $25 or $30, why bother?

My favorite distro is SuSE, and I want them to sell enough retail packages so they will stay in business and continue to provide me the updates and advice that I need from time to time.

Bottom Line: There's a place in this for all the great distros in both retail boxes and in re-distribution and in re-named re-distribution. That, IMHO, is what makes Linux so great and why it gets greater by the week!

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* Of course, the license specifically provides that you can reproduce and distribute and charge for materials (CD-R blanks and labels), your time and your equipment time, and shipping and handling. When you pay $6.00 for a CD or pair of CDs, it would be pretty tough to make a case for fraud or theft of intellectual property when the $6 could so easily be justified in terms of time and material costs.

[dysharmonic]

It seems to my understanding that whether a distro allows you to use thier original name or not depends on their 'terms and conditions' regarding redistribution of their products.

As bavinic said above, RedHat requires that their trademark name be dropped from redistributed copies, while it's my own assuming that other distros do not for the site in question is selling those copies w/ the original distro names retained.

I hope I'm right..hehe