Clearing Up Confusion Surrounding Linux Copyrights and Trademarks

There is much confusion among companies regarding how to take advantage of the powerful Linux operating system, without violating copyright or trademark laws or losing their trademark or copyright protection. This article briefly address some copyright and trademark questions that the use of Linux raises. It first provides a brief background on the Linux operating system and its license, the GNU Public License, more commonly known as the GPL. It then discusses the level of risk companies face using Linux internally and in a software development context. It discusses strategies for staying in compliance with the copyright aspects of the license. Finally, the article discusses how a company can comply with the registered trademarks for LINUX and its various distributions...