New Audiocast Available Now

UBportsNews · 5 Nov 2019, 21:12

What do you think about the name #UbuntuTouch? Join Wayne (out there) & Joe (in here) as they discuss possible changes in the #UBports project.

The Ubuntu Touch #Audiocast 47:
https://ubports.com/blog/ubports-blog-1/post/47-u-can-t-touch-this-228

UBports News Channel on Telegram https://t.me/ubports_news and Matrix https://matrix.to/#/#ubports_news:matrix.org

GizmoChicken · 11 May 2019, 23:27

@UBportsNews said in New Audiocast Available Now:

What do you think about the name #UbuntuTouch?

I'll reiterate here what I previously wrote in response the thread entitled Would changing the "Unity8" name be less confusing than keeping it?:

Whether or not UBports wants to register a name as a trademark (I think it should), UBports should approach name selection with an eye toward trademark law. That is, among other criteria, distinctiveness and potential likelihood of confusion must be considered.

Unity

As @alan_g points out above:

There's also continuing confusion with Unity.

Whether or not “Unity” as used by UBports/Canonical creates a likelihood of confusion (within the legal meaning) with “Unity” as used by Unity Technologies, I won't speculate. But keep in mind that, regardless of what anyone in this forum thinks, Unity Technologies may have other thoughts. And depending on the arguments presented, a court (and/or trademark registration authorities, such as the EUIPO, USPTO, etc.) may side with Unity Technologies.

Touch

From a purely marketing (not legal) perspective, given that UBports is working toward convergence, why not refer to mobile and desktop using the same name?

If UBports hasn’t already done so, now would be a good time to contact appropriate legal counsel to discuss whether “Touch” is likely registrable and non-infringing in target markets.

Although it would be fun for the community to discuss possible new names in public, keep in mind that cyber squatters (and trademark squatters) are listening. So, although antithetical to common practice in the open source community, public discussion of potential new names is generally a bad idea.

DISCLAIMER: No portion of this post constitutes, or should be construed to constitute, legal advice. Rather, I suggest that UBports and/or Canonical should consult with a qualified trademark attorney to seek advice regarding these matters.

And to reiterate my reiteration: "Although it would be fun for the community to discuss possible new names in public, keep in mind that cyber squatters (and trademark squatters) are listening. So, although antithetical to common practice in the open source community, public discussion of potential new names is generally a bad idea."

Also, please see quoted disclaimer.

joe · 12 May 2019, 01:12

@GizmoChicken These are all good points.
Especially the last part about squatters.

It's quite the dilemma to have to be secretive in an open community.

GizmoChicken · 5 Dec 2019, 01:32

@joe said in New Audiocast Available Now:

It's quite the dilemma to have to be secretive in an open community.

Yep. But I hope that the community will understand why public discussions aren't a good idea in this particular situation.

So, with the above in mind, I suggest that those who want to submit unique names refrain from doing so here (in public), but instead submit their suggestions to an appropriate person at UBports via private message.

@UBportsNews: Any suggestions regarding who at UBports would be an appropriate (and willing) person to receive such submissions via private message?

UBportsNews · 13 May 2019, 04:22

@GizmoChicken Have asked the question will get back to you shortly.

GizmoChicken · 13 May 2019, 07:01

@UBportsNews said in New Audiocast Available Now:

@GizmoChicken Have asked the question will get back to you shortly.

Thanks much.

If UBports wants input from the community regarding product names, perhaps UBports could establish a dedicated forum user profile (something like "NameSuggestions" or similar) to which such suggestions could be sent via private message. In this way, the individual members of the community can still provide input (without being overheard by squatters) and no one's primary UBports forum account is overwhelmed with name suggestions.

UniSuperBox · 13 May 2019, 16:08

Hello, I'm the rain on your parade.

TL;DR: To be clear, we would not like your name suggestions. People suggesting names puts us in a position of picking tens or hundreds of losers and it's ripe for trolling. We don't want to be in that position. We're not looking for name suggestions and we're not currently seriously discussing a name change.

A name change is something that has been toyed with for, what has it been... two years, one month, and 8 days. There are many discussions on this forum and elsewhere about it.

Name change suggestions are vulnerable to trolling by lawyers, domain (and other technical registry) registrars, and mean people. I'm, of course, most sensitive to the "mean people" trolling. Remember the Yunit name and logo survey? After a too-drawn-out process, the decision was ultimately made that no one could agree on a logo and the project was to continue without one. It was a terrible step for the community and everyone who contributed their time. We don't want to repeat that kind of misstep.

There are two things endemic to every name and logo change:

No one likes the new name
No one likes the new logo

Ref: Red Hat, VS Code, Google...

If we will ever change the name of Ubuntu Touch and Unity, the discussions will be quiet and the {legal,technical,PR} machinery of the decision will probably be hidden from public eye. That is antithetical to my normal stance on making decision processes more open and inviting people in... but it is how we will need to handle this kind of transition to avoid as much upset as possible. People will still be upset, just less than if "someone else's idea" beat theirs.

GizmoChicken · 13 May 2019, 17:05

@UniSuperBox said in New Audiocast Available Now:

If we will ever change the name of Ubuntu Touch and Unity, the discussions will be quiet and the {legal,technical,PR} machinery of the decision will probably be hidden from public eye. That is antithetical to my normal stance on making decision processes more open and inviting people in... but it is how we will need to handle this kind of transition to avoid as much upset as possible. People will still be upset, just less than if "someone else's idea" beat theirs.

I agree 100% that "the discussions [should] be quiet and the {legal,technical,PR} machinery of the decision [should] be hidden from public eye." But I'm less concerned about people being upset, and I'm more concerned about public discussions being overheard by squatters and other related issues.

For what it's worth, I only suggested that "UBports could establish a dedicated forum user profile (something like "NameSuggestions" or similar) to which [name] suggestions could be sent via private message" because changing names has become a recurring topic and having a dedicated inbox would provide a non-public outlet for those who can't help themselves.

@UniSuperBox said in New Audiocast Available Now:

I'm the rain on your parade.

You'll always be my sunshine.

hummlbach · 14 May 2019, 04:51

you're my sunshine my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray...
We have a new name already either ways A lot of people are calling it UBtouch... a new star is born

GizmoChicken · 14 May 2019, 08:35

@hummlbach said in New Audiocast Available Now:

you're my sunshine my only sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray...

I beg you: PLEASE don't Steal My Sunshine!

joe · 14 May 2019, 14:23

This is a hot topic, but I think it's important to follow what @UniSuperBox has mentioned.

Great discussion though! There are many other topics that we can discuss openly like:

What kind of "bounty" system would be most attractive to developers and non-developers?
Critical missing features/apps (related to above point), as also mentioned in the recent Q&A
Companies and benevolent dictator(s).

Thanks for your thoughts, sunshine

GizmoChicken · 14 May 2019, 15:30

@joe said in New Audiocast Available Now:

I think it's important to follow what @UniSuperBox has mentioned.

Yes, we should all follow what @UniSuperBox mentioned, namely: "public discussion of potential new names is generally a bad idea." Oh wait, that was me. Carry on.

joe · 17 May 2019, 03:08

@GizmoChicken Yes, what you said originally