From: "Robb Sands" <rsands@celeritytech.com>
To: <rsands@celeritytech.com>
Subject: Hottest Breaking Linux Story since RedHat went public
Date: Wed, 1 Sep 1999 16:00:25 -0400

HELP!!

I just got off the phone with Amazon.com and Red Hat.com Legal departments
and guess what the hot-breaking-heart-breaking news is?

You can no longer refer to Red Hat Linux GPL distribution using the words
Red Hat.  Now it has to be called "I wanna be Microsoft" or "anonymous linux
6.0" or something similar, since the Red Hat name can no longer appear on
ANY GPL PRODUCTS or ads.  That's right, the GPL distribution of Red Hat
Linux can no longer be called Red Hat Linux, it now MUST have a new name.
No more Red Hat GPL CD's, advertisements, support groups, netnews,
nothing...anywhere in the universe.  This is not an Amazon.com issue.
Instead this affects the entire world of linux.

I know this sounds incredibly unbelievable, but the Red Hat GPL distribution
can no longer be advertised or labeled Red Hat, only the official boxed set.
As a linux seller on Amazon.com, I (along with 100 other people) sell a GPL
version of the distribution formerly known as Red Hat Linux GPL.  We now
will be required to say we are selling 'blah' Linux 6.0 and will have to
remove any labeling on products referring to the GPL Linux Distribution.

How will people know they are getting Red Hat Linux GPL if it can't carry
the name?  You guess, because I haven't a clue...

Of course the legal counsel rep, and only person in the entire Red Hat
organization who can respond, David Shumannfang, is currently on vacation
and won't be available for a week (9-7-99).  Basically we are all screwed
and no one at Red Hat knows anything until his return, just lovely.

This email is a plea for you to email   legal@redhat.com and voice your
displeasure over Red Hat's new copyright policy requiring their GPL
distribution to be called something other than Red Hat Linux GPL.

I know this is off topic, so flame away, but it is an issue that AFFECTS ALL
RED HAT LINUX USERS and POTENTIAL USERS.

Robb Sands
robb@bestlinux.tf