[plug] MandrakeSoft Changes name to Mandriva

[Bret Busby]

On Fri, 8 Apr 2005, Richard Meyer wrote:

> 
> On Fri, 2005-04-08 at 11:55 +0800, Bret Busby wrote:
>> On Fri, 8 Apr 2005, Muskie Teh Otterboi wrote:
>>
>>> 2. The long-winding trademark lawsuit with Hearst Corporation has
>>>  reached a point where we decided it is more reasonable for us to
>>>  move forward. By adopting a new name, we eliminate the liability
>>>  attached to the Mandrakesoft name and we can focus on what is
>>>  important to us: developing and delivering great technology and
>>>  solutions to both our customers and our user community.
>>>
>>>
>>
>> It's probably a bit off-topic, but what was the lawsuit with the Hearst
>> Corporation, about?
>
> Hearst corporation owned a cartoon (or something) named "Mandrake the
> Magician". With MDK using the name, and the wizard and wand, and star in
> their logos, Hearst corp decided that they were infringing copyright
> (IIRC).
>
> In the early days of MDK, they admitted that that's where the name and
> logo came from, so they really didn't have too much of a leg to stand
> on.
>
> -- 
>

Thanks for that explanation.

I remember the comic strip, Mandrake the magician, but I hadn't 
associated Mandrake software with the comic strip.

The word mandrake is much older than the Hearst Corporation, and refers 
to a plant that has roots that are supposed to resemble a human, in 
shape, and, according to witchcraft principles, was supposed to emit a 
humanly scream, when the plant was pulled from the ground (maybe under 
certain circumstances), and, because of those two factors, was used in 
some witchcraft spells, from memory. Those two factors are what gave 
rise to the name Mandrake, which was the name given to the plant for 
those reasons.

I would have thought that, with the origin of the name Mandrake, 
depending on hopw exactly the software company applied it, the software 
company would have had as much rick to use the name, as the Hearst 
Corporation.

It's a it like whoever came up with the fantasy named Willow, 
trademarking the word willow, and, "willowy blondes".

But, anyway, such are the ways of some intellectual property, and it's 
probably a bit too off-topic.

--
Bret Busby
Armadale
West Australia
..............

"So once you do know what the question actually is,
  you'll know what the answer means."
- Deep Thought,
   Chapter 28 of
   "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy:
   A Trilogy In Four Parts",
   written by Douglas Adams,
   published by Pan Books, 1992

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