Comment by XCabbage | Hacker News Reader

Comment by XCabbage | Hacker News Reader

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You've asserted this twice on this post, both times without any evidence. I Googled, couldn't find the threat you're basing the claim on, but DID find that the PSF Trademark Usage Policy (https://www.python.org/psf/trademarks/) explicitly allows most sorts of freely distributed Python-related products to use the name without permission:

> Use of the word "Python" in the names of freely distributed products like IronPython, wxPython, Python Extensions, etc. -- Allowed when referring to use with or suitability for the Python programming language.

We can quibble about whether a Python 2 fork would technically meet the definition here, but it seems to me that it would meet it at least as much as IronPython does; going after such a fork would contradict the rule implied by the examples in this section, even if it doesn't unambiguously violate the definition. I think they've already granted the public the right to use the word "Python" in a Python 2 fork and couldn't successfully sue over it now even if they wanted to.

What's your basis for suggesting that they've threatened to do so?

Sorry, I shouldn't assume people know the same things I know.

I know this has come up at least three times I've seen, but I'm having trouble finding them all. Here's one:

https://github.com/naftaliharris/tauthon/issues/47

In this case there was plans to call something py28, to which Guido replied "OK, bring in the lawyers".

That is an absurd mischaracterization of the conversation. Guido’s response to the “py28” name was only, “Doesn’t work for me, sorry.” The “lawyers” response was specifically a response to an aggressive, insulting post from another poster. That other poster said that Guido should be disregarded, suggested names that would clearly get lawyers involved if chosen, accused Guido of sabotaging Python 2, and characterized Guido’s naming objections as silly. To Guido’s (virtual) face, no less! He was described by the original poster in that thread as hostile, antagonizing, and rude. Any reasonable reading of that single sentence post from Guido is of his giving up – throwing up his hands and saying the equivalent of “Well, whatever, then.”

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gvanrossum: Isn't the whole point that we're trying to solve this without lawyers?

[redacted]: The whole point is that you've been sabotaging Python 2 for years and when someone does what needed to be done from the start, you come up with silly objections.

gvanrossum: OK, bring in the lawyers.

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Just don’t appropriate a name what’s not yours, and you can maintain all the Python 2.x you want. Pathfinder[1] couldn’t call itself D&D 3.6 – Tauthon or anyone else can’t make things called Python.

[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pathfinder_Roleplaying_Game

CJefferson probably refers that GvR comment (Though I don't see that strong language here):

""" Since I was asked: The project's name (and its binary name) need to change. They are misleading. The rest looks acceptable according to Python's license. This is not an endorsement (far from it). """

Expand all comments. One is exactly what I quote.

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