License question

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Hello all,

Today my question is so simple.
"Can I showcase concrete5 on my website?"

Official Japanese distributor, Usagi Project require all the link to concrete5 to be reviewed by them.
They say if I want to place a link to introduce c5, then I need to ask them for permission.
This is no matter that is on personal website or not. All the link, on all the website. With or without the c5 logo.

And they say that stupid screening is to match Concrete CMS Inc,'s desire.

http://concrete5-japan.org/about/use_of_concrete5_logo/...

Can such a sucking thing happen with Open Source?

 
kino replied on at Permalink Reply
kino
木下です。

日本の方のようなので日本語で返事を書いています。

まず、オープンソースと登録商標は全く別のもです。

concrete5はMITライセンスなので
そのプログラムを難読化・暗号化して有償で販売しても
法律上問題は無い筈です。
GPLのようにプログラムを提供したからソースも提供し
そのプログラム自身も同じライセンスにしなければ
ならないという縛りも有りません。
このようにプログラムを使用することには非常に柔軟です。

しかし、「concrete5」という名称・ロゴに関しては登録商標でありその使用に関しては
http://www.concrete5.org/developers/support_and_partners/...
等で定められています。
UsagiProjectでは責任者が本家まで出向き
その使用範囲や日本での許諾の権限等について
話し合い許可を得た結果だと聞いています。

彼方が concrete5 の名称・ロゴを使わず
他の名称を・ロゴを使ってShowCaseを作成する場合には
concrete5の商標権を侵害することは無いので可能な筈です。

私は法律の専門家ではないので事業を行う上で
心配であればそれらの専門家に問い合わせをされることを
お勧めします。
coq replied on at Permalink Reply
Hello,

Thank you for reply, kino, but could you please use English, as here is not Japanese website.

Yes, I know they (Usagi project) says this is the agreement between them and Concrete, Inc.
But I don't think Concretem Inc. requires so hard limitations like screening, even for a simple link.
So I post here to ask for others, mainly non-Japanese.

And about the logo license, I know there is a limitation, but I think c5.org's limitation is only with "Services Logo" and "Hosting Logo", and not with simple logo of c5 (like that is shown on top of this page).

In addition to say, the words "concrete5" is not registered as a trademark in Japan, as long as I know, so there is no preservation on that in Japan.

Regards,
Tao replied on at Permalink Reply
Tao
http://www.concrete5.org/help/legal/logo_usage/
coq replied on at Permalink Reply
Yes, I've already read that page.

> Use of the hand and wordmark on any website is allowed without advanced permission. Rights to use either may be revoked without reason.
This line is completely opposite against the Japanese distributor (Usagi Project) says, so I posted this topic.
frz replied on at Permalink Reply
frz
As long as the logo links tohttp://concrete5.org - we're happy for anyone to use our logo on the web.

If the logo is going to link somewhere else, it needs to be approved.

We don't speak Japanese, so we're happy for Usagi project to help.

Our goal is simple; provide a coherent experience for end customers who are new to the brand. I can't have dozens of different websites claiming to be the "official concrete5 site" for some location or vertical market without some type of assurances that they're providing the customer experience we're known for.

As the software is released under the MIT license, we don't have any of the branding controls over the software that a GPL project would have. Consequently we have to be a little careful about our logo usage.

Thx.
katz515 replied on at Permalink Reply
katz515
Whatever I wrote
http://concrete5-japan.org/about/use_of_concrete5_logo/...

is the direct translation of

http://www.concrete5.org/help/legal/logo_usage/...

with more explanation case by case, and our previous discussions from this cocnrete5 main forum.

Just in case, I would like to emphasize that I am only talking about the uses of "concrete5" logo. I am not talking about the software itself.

What I am writing in that page is...

- You can use the "concrete5" text
- If you are using logo to promote concrete5 web site itself... no problem
- If the logo is helping to promote your commercial business, you have to join concrete5 partner program



Again, I emphasize that this limitation is only to the uses to logo.




In this page,

http://www.concrete5.org/help/legal/logo_usage/...

==========
5. If you are using the logo to promote your services, you should join the partner programs.
==========

So if you are promoting your web developing service on print, web sites... you still need to join the partner programs.

So that's what the page describes.

Also limiting the usages of the concrete5 logo to concrete5 partner members makes the quality of concrete5 at the certain levels as well. We want to make sure that who/which companies are using our logo to represent our software.

For example, if we let all people to use concrete5 logo, we cannot prevent from some bad web design companies providing bad services. So we can at least make sure that who's using the logo by providing the partner programs.

But, to respect the Open Source community, we are not limiting the usage of the word "concrete5".

So this is what Concrete CMS, Inc and the concrete5 user community came up with.



I added the limitation to use "concrete5" text and logo in a reference book.

I heard some rumors that some companies were trying to sell concrete5 reference book in expensive price which is against the spirit of Open Source.

So I wanted to protect the users as well.

But all you need is our approval.



Anyway, I just wanted to emphasize that I have no inconsistency against the two pages.

http://www.concrete5.org/help/legal/logo_usage/...
http://concrete5-japan.org/about/use_of_concrete5_logo/...

And this is the result of mutual agreement between Concrete CMS, Inc and Usagi Project.

And I also wanted to emphasize that this is the common practice with other Open Source projects. Japanese open source communities are still young. So they do not understand the difference between the brand and software.

For exmample... Joomla
http://www.joomla.org/about-joomla/the-project/conditional-use-logo...
requires that business must register to them in order to use their logo.


Again, we are only limiting the usage of logo. The software itself is sticking to the open source

----------

● concrete5 名称とロゴの使用について
http://concrete5-japan.org/about/use_of_concrete5_logo...

は、

● Logo Usage
http://www.concrete5.org/help/legal/logo_usage/...

のページの翻訳と、ここのフォーラムで話しあったことをわかり易く説明したことです。

また、concrete5 のソフトウエア自体はMIT Licenseのオープンソースです。ここで使用の制限をしているのは、「concrete5」のロゴ自体のことです。

- テキストとして使用は大丈夫
- ロゴの使用が、concrete5 サイト自身のためであれば大丈夫
- ロゴの使用が、個人事業者や会社が行っている経済活動のプロモーションであれば、パートナー制度への加入が必要

これは、ソフトウエア自体のことではなく、ロゴ使用のみについてです。

この
http://www.concrete5.org/help/legal/logo_usage/...
ページ中でも
==========
5. If you are using the logo to promote your services, you should join the partner programs.
(ロゴの使用が、自分(自社)のサービスのプロモーションのためであれば、パートナー制度への加入が必要です)
==========
と書いてあります。

繰り返しますが、これは、concrete5 ロゴだけのことであり、concrete5 のソフトウエア自体のことではありません。

ロゴの使用が個人や会社が、自分のウェブ制作のサービスという利益活動を行うのであれば、パートナー制度にはいる必要があると言うことです。

ロゴを使用している会社や個人を把握することにより、concrete5サイトのクオリティーのある程度の維持が出来るようになります。私たちが望んでいるのは、なにもノウハウの無い会社がconcrete5の低クオリティーのサイトを制作し、concrete5の評判を落としてしまったり、その会社のクライアントに迷惑をかけてしまうことです。

しかし、もちろん、オープンソースの精神も完全に忘れたくありませんので、自社のサービスのプロモーションでも、テキストのみであれば許可しています。

これが、 Concrete CMS Inc. とここのユーザーコミュニティーでの議論をした結果でこうなりました。



また、解説本へはテキストでも使用を制限しています。これは、過去に、アフィリエイト業者が、法外な値段で、cocnrete5 解説本を販売しようとしていたという報告を受けたことがきっかけです。

また実際に、アフィリエイト業者が、cocnrete5 解説サイトと称し、メンバー登録をすると、ただ、私たちのサイトのインストールガイドをまるごとコピーしただけのページでだけであったと、とても解説サイトと呼べるクオリティーではなく、メールアドレス収集のためとしか思えないページもありました。

concrete5のブランドイメージ低下と、ユーザー様への被害を阻止するための予防措置です。

ただし、これは、Concrete CMS, Inc と Usagi Project に事前許可をとれば良いことであり、無許可の行為を制限しているだけに過ぎません。



ということで、

http://www.concrete5.org/help/legal/logo_usage/...
http://concrete5-japan.org/about/use_of_concrete5_logo/...

のページはなにも矛盾点はありません。
また、このように、ソフトウエアは自由だが、ブランドは自由ではないというシステムは他のCMSでも行っています。

例えば Joomla も
http://www.joomla.org/about-joomla/the-project/conditional-use-logo...
商業活動を行うビジネスにおいてのロゴの使用は、登録が必要であると言うことが明確に明記されています。



ソフトウエア自体はオープンソースです。ロゴの使用のみを制限しています。
katz515 replied on at Permalink Reply
katz515
OK I just read carefully for Coq's thread

> Official Japanese distributor, Usagi Project require all
> the link to concrete5 to be reviewed by them.

I have never mentioned it.
I only mention about the usage of logo itself.


> They say if I want to place a link to introduce c5,
> then I need to ask them for permission.

Nope. Only logo.

I wonder where he/she got an idea of this...


So anyway... I've started the discussion with Usagi Project members to modify the target page to make it more understandable.
coq replied on at Permalink Reply
Hello,Sorry to include Japanese lines.

So you say
"こちらで審査させていただいた後、使用目的に応じて、画像データを配布いたします。"
this line (screening) is only concerning about
オリジナルのロゴ<-this (original concrete5 logo)?

regards,
katz515 replied on at Permalink Reply
katz515
I can see this is a small problem.

Even though I said that you can freely use logo on personal site without permission, I haven't had time to create one.

Although I never mentioned that you need to ask us permission even to link to our site..., the text could be confusing because I meant that you need our approval for Media people who requires high resolution logos.

I will create banner for concrete5 Japan.

And I will revise the text to be less confusing.

Thanks~.
katz515 replied on at Permalink Reply
katz515
Just a quick update.

We have revised our logo guideline page.
And also create the banner image.

http://concrete5-japan.org/about/use_of_concrete5_logo/...

I hope this resolve our issue.

Thanks
coq replied on at Permalink Reply
Hello,
This issue seems to have solved now.
Really thank you for this.

Regards,