Ubuntu’s Logo Copied By ReviewIt Mag April 12, 2007
Posted by Carthik in Friends Etc., snippets, ubuntu.trackback
The latest edition of Reviewit Magazine features the Ubuntu Logo on the 37th page. (via Digg). Also, as Jeff points out, they also use imagery from the Fedora stable(the bubbles), and so it is twice lame. Thanks for pointing these out, Jeff.
Earlier there was that offending MSN Spaces Logo which looked close but wasn’t a 100% copy. That logo is not being used by spaces now, which is now called Windows Live Spaces.
So what do we do about blatant trademark violations? Somehow, the idea of a corporation that aggressively pursues copyright and trademark violation does not fit in with Open Culture. That said, it is essential to maintain the integrity of Ubuntu’s branding. I suppose since the magazine in question is not so popular, and since it is a one-off violation, nothing will be done about this (then again, I might be wrong).
By the way, I have been blogging here at a crazy rate over the past day or two. Most of the posts have been news or opinion items. This is so unlike me 🙂 This is the last of them, I promise. It is tempting to blog about every little Ubuntu related thing that I think is interesting, but doing that takes me a little farther from the blog’s stated goal.
Update: Earlier I had implied that the logo appeared in an advertisement. It was not an ad – it was an article in the magazine. So, since it is no fault of the institution featured in the magazine, I have removed references to the institution in the article above. I apologize if I misled/misinformed anyone temporarily. I have also edited some comments below to remove references to the institution mentioned upon request. I received two emails – one each from the institution and from the magazine that seem to confirm that the logo appeared in an article, not an advertisement. Thank you!
Ubuntu Blog 
I love your blog, and I wished you posted more often!
It’s actually an ad, so not directly the magazine’s fault (might be worth updating your post to mention that)… and hilariously enough, it’s actually a combination of Ubuntu and Fedora artwork. Twice lame!
Thank you, earobinson 🙂 I will try to post more regularly and more often.
Thanks Jeff, I updated the post. I swear it looked like an article the first time I saw it!
Did anybody actually think about ASKING the magazine or the ad creators about this ? To me it looks more like some not-so-subliminal ad for… Linux (both Fedora and Ubuntu) !
The company featured doesn’ t have anything remotely similar to those graphics elements on their website. I’m thinking whoever put together the add may have played a practical joke on their customer/employer.
URL: removed –
Sorry Fabian – but we don’t to blame those who are not responsible – hope you understand.
Well the website does have a nice “Contact Us” section, with email. Not that I would suggest that anyone email them. 🙂
It appears to me that they have the ad on pg 36, and an article on pg 37. The ad is the only place I saw the logo. My guess is the institution hired a company to make the ad, and the company is the one that brought out the Ubuntu logo.
They had an article in the March issue, but the logo was not present there (that I could find).
I wrote them an email just now – just to let them know.
Let us know how they reply.
I got two replies, one from the institution featured in the article, and another from the magazine editor which was in reply to an email someone from the institution sent the magazine.
It wasn’t an advertisement. I have updated the post to reflect that.
The representative from the magazine has promised to look into the affair and set things right.
So there it stands! I have updated the post to remove references to the company, which, as it turns out, had nothing to do with the article’s artwork etc.
[…] or Not? April 12, 2007 Posted by carthik in ubuntu. trackback Well, it turns out, the logo misuse may have been the magazine’s fault. I received emails from the institution that we thought […]
Found this logo which is more similar to the Ubuntu logo then the MSN one. Ironically it’s found on the Microsoft Alumni website. Note the Ubuntu style logo upper left corner of the main page.
Please go on blogging news and opinion pieces like this one. I haven’t that much time to follow different blogs / news sources from the Ubuntu world, so I depend on yours. Which I totally like, anyway.
http://www.msanet.org
I think they are using the logo-icon in tangerine I did, which is cc-by-sa and I think they are infringing the license
Well there’s the original, fedora bubbles and all, from Everdusk.be under splash screens (brown). If you look at the enlarged version of the magazine, you can even see where they stopped the twisty smoke behind the word “beauty”.
(Everdusk was linked in the digg thread)
[…] Two readers commented – and I even received one email – saying more frequent posts of the kind that I have written recently are welcome – that I should not limit myself to writing only helpful tips. That is what encouraged me to write about this interview. […]
I think it’s a pretty easy mistake for them to have made, since Ubuntu (in both meanings) can be described as beauty. I wouldn’t mind seeing the logo show up in magazines more often, provided it’s in reference to the distro.
[…] it turns out, the logo misuse may have been the magazine’s fault. I received emails from the institution that we thought […]
[…] Two readers commented – and I even received one email – saying more frequent posts of the kind that I have written recently are welcome – that I should not limit myself to writing only helpful tips. That is what encouraged me to write about this interview. […]
[…] latest edition of Reviewit Magazine features the Ubuntu Logo on the 37th page. (via Digg). Also, as Jeff points out, they also use imagery from the Fedora stable(the bubbles), and so it is twice lame. Thanks for […]
As a long-time journalist and magazine author, I can tell you that this certainly is an “ad” as in “advertorial.” In other words, the magazine publishes so-called articles, which have actually been paid for. Just read the “article” and you can clearly see the evidence. There is no author’s name for the “article.” There is a personal testimonial. The closing section is a direct sales pitch. I’m not saying that Woodlands had anything to do with the design, but they would certainly have been involved in the creation of the “article.”
nice..
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I love your blog, and I wished you posted more often!
I think they are using the logo-icon in tangerine I did, which is cc-by-sa and I think they are infringing the license
The company featured doesn’ t have anything remotely similar to those graphics elements on their website. I’m thinking whoever put together the add may have played a practical joke on their customer/employer.
Two readers commented – and I even received one email – saying more frequent posts of the kind that I have written recently are welcome – that I should not limit myself to writing only helpful tips. That is what encouraged me to write about this interview
The latest edition of Reviewit Magazine features the Ubuntu Logo on the 37th page. (via Digg). Also, as Jeff points out, they also use imagery from the Fedora stable(the bubbles), and so it is twice lame. Thanks for pointing these out, Jeff.
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I think that it is wrong to blog when people don’t have the facts. I have been in publishing for a long time and to blame the magazine without facts is SLANDER!!!!!!!! You might want to look into that before you get in trouble.