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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.anu.edu.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!simtel!zombie.ncsc.mil!news.mathworks.com!europa.chnt.gtegsc.com!cantaloupe.srv.cs.cmu.edu!localhost!cgd From: cgd@cs.cmu.edu Newsgroups: comp.unix.bsd.misc Subject: What is "BSD"? Followup-To: comp.unix.bsd.misc Date: 20 Aug 1995 07:29:37 GMT Organization: Kernel Hackers 'r' Us Lines: 76 Message-ID: <CGD.95Aug20032937@BALVENIE.PDL.CS.CMU.EDU> NNTP-Posting-Host: balvenie.pdl.cs.cmu.edu What is "BSD"? Very simple question, eh? I think that most of the readers of this group, and anybody who's worked with UNIX or UNIX-like systems for any period of time knows the answer. Starting with "1BSD" in the late 70's, in the UNIX Community "BSD" has meant "Berkeley Software Distribution." Operating systems that were derived from BSD releases were often called BSD systems or "BSD UNIX." At one time, all the world was a VAX, and pretty much all of the UNIX world to be reckoned with ran BSD on their VAXen. Everybody knows that "UNIX" is a trademark. USL's lawsuit against BSDI and the resulting settlement made it clear that, while lots of people _thought_ that the "UNIX" name was in the public domain, it really was USL's property. They arguably even had a valid claim to it: Bell Labs _INVENTED_ UNIX, named it, and passed the rights to the trademark brand to successor organizations (to X/Open, which owns it now). What a lot of people probably _don't_ realize is that "BSD" is a trademark too! Didn't realize that the University of California, the folks who invented "BSD" and sold BSD tapes, trademarked it, eh? They didn't. The "BSD" trademark is owned by none other than Berkeley Software Design, Inc. Apparently, when they incorporated, etc., they also registered "BSD" as their trademark, and, believe it or not, have indicated that they plan to enforce their ownership. To that end, for instance, they have entered into an "Agreement and Mutual Acknowledgement of Trademark Rights" with the folks in charge of The FreeBSD Project, Inc. (and have approached the folks in charge of NetBSD about one, as well), which says, among other things: BSDI is the owner of the trademark "BSD" which is used in the field of computer software. According to BSDI, _NONE_ of the following can be called "BSD Systems": Ultrix 386BSD FreeBSD NetBSD Lites SunOS [34].x even though some of them have been considered "BSD Systems" before BSDI was formed. Indeed, systems like NetBSD or FreeBSD would find it difficult (if not impossible) to register their names as trademarks, without an agreement with BSDI like the ones that the FreeBSD folks signed. As far as I know, BSDi's been very quiet about their ownership of the BSD trademark (probably for good reason). But they own it, and are asserting their "right" to exclusive use of it. If you don't believe me, call them up and ask them if they claim ownership of the "BSD" name, if they've entered into such an agreement with the FreeBSD folks, etc. Some of you may note that there's more than just a little bit of irony in this... chris -- not speaking for anybody but myself, though i've wanted to write this article for a while now...