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Amiga News and Community Announcements => Amiga News and Community Announcements => Amiga Software News => Topic started by: GadgetMaster on January 16, 2003, 09:00:22 PM

Title: The End of the Free PCI Device List
Post by: GadgetMaster on January 16, 2003, 09:00:22 PM

"For many years, Jim Boemler was the maintainer of a free PCI device table (http://www.yourvote.com/pci/)  which reference all the PCI ID's of PCI Devices. This service is used by Free Operating Systems for keeping up to date their pci device list. That was a very usefull service for us (i was working in a Linux distro in the hardware suport team). It was wonderfull until the PCI-SIG had their lawyers cease and desisted (http://www.yourvote.com/pci/Scanned_.pdf) him to stop this service because of the use of the PCI logo AND name ! You don't have the right to use the three letters P,C,I ! Incredible... So he was forced to close his website. This is a incredible loss for the hardware support in the Free Software world. I hope PCI-SIG will change its position ! Please support Jim."

More at: Slashdot.org (http://slashdot.org/articles/03/01/16/180209.shtml?tid=153) ...

Title: Re: The End of the Free PCI Device List
Post by: Hammer on January 16, 2003, 09:24:05 PM

Mr Boemler should be able to use the name like a fan web sites e.g. Starwars and Star Trek fan sites....

What happened to the fair use clause?

Title: Re: The End of the Free PCI Device List
Post by: ikir on January 16, 2003, 10:01:20 PM

.......

Title: Re: The End of the Free PCI Device List
Post by: Oli_hd on January 16, 2003, 10:44:11 PM

Hi,

Quote

because of the use of the PCI logo AND name !

Well he could get around that, You know what the page is right? Just remove the (Or make his own) logo`s and incorperate the word PCI into the text.. Like:
This site has the ID`s for all PCI device`s or such like.
Using the logo would cause problems but the word PCI must have been used to make the page look official else they could get most of us for writing the letters PCI.

Quote

You don't have the right to use the three letters P,C,I ! Incredible

Ermm, Well, ermmm...
Copywrite is a funny thing but you are using it because its a trademark, not because its three letters.. Thats the problem

Title: Re: The End of the Free PCI Device List
Post by: JoannaK on January 17, 2003, 03:54:12 AM

:shocked:  :shocked:  :shocked:

Title: Re: The End of the Free PCI Device List
Post by: System on January 17, 2003, 04:04:41 PM

Numbers and letters can't be copyright protected.   That's why MicroSoft dropped the 386, 486 name progression and we have Pentium Chips not 586 etc.

I'm thinking it was the logo DESIGN as Oli_hd implied that could not be used.

Bob C.