How Can I Sell Linux Mint on Amazon?

[Thrifty Disc]

Pretty simple, well hopefully. It hasn't seemed like it thus far.

I want to sell on Amazon as well as my own site. I guess I need a license to do so. Intellectual Property rights is something I must acquire. Where might I find a shiny new IPR?

I'm new to this whole getting a license to sell goods and stuff online.

[xenopeek]

The attachments show a dispute between you and SirTanon/LinuxFreak. That part is for you to resolve as SirTanon/LinuxFreak appears to be selling customized ISOs--not official Linux Mint ISOs--and it appears (as per the claim) you were selling the same customized ISOs. Note that selling customized ISOs using Linux Mint's name, artwork or branding is not permitted and would be a copyright and trademark infringement.

If you want to sell customized Linux Mint ISOs, you can continue to use Linux Mint's technology, repositories and packages, but you'll have to distribute your product under its own brand, name and identity. You CANNOT under any circumstances use Linux Mint's name, artwork or branding or confuse users when it comes to your product being associated in any way or form with Linux Mint.

As for how you can sell Linux Mint ISOs on Amazon; if you want to sell official Linux Mint ISOs please contact Clement Lefebvre (root@linuxmint.com).

For countries that have software patents (like US and Japan) you would be strongly recommended to only sell the no-codecs editions of Linux Mint. Other editions may have software that infringes on patents and you could be held liable for selling products that infringe on patents.

[killer de bug]

You must be crazy to try to sell Linux Mint product...
Why on earth would someone pay for something he can have for free. I would rather give $100 to the Linux Mint project than $10 to you...


Edit : By the way, I am wondering if this is legal: http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Mint-Specia ... grid_i_2_2
I will ask Clem as soon as I see him

[shengchieh]

You're better off selling hardwares w/ pre-install LM or whatever. Why should someone buys when LM is free? Alternatively sells LM support.

Sheng-Chieh

[RacerBG]

Bad idea. And why you think that somebody will buy it when it is there for free ?

Why on earth would someone pay for something he can have for free. I would rather give $100 to the Linux Mint project than $10 to you...

I agree with killer de bug.

[xenopeek]

Not everybody has a broadband Internet connection or no download limits, so downloading a 1 GB ISO isn't an option for everybody. Being able to buy a DVD or USB stick with the Linux Mint ISO can be an only option to get Linux Mint for some people.

Linux Mint is partnered with OSDisc for that purpose, and you can buy DVDs, USB sticks, and memory sticks with the Linux Mint ISO from them through the Linux Mint Store: http://www.linuxmint.com/store_cds.php. A portion of the sale is donated to Linux Mint, so it serves two goals at once.

Edit : By the way, I am wondering if this is legal: http://www.amazon.com/Linux-Mint-Specia ... grid_i_2_2
I will ask Clem as soon as I see him

I've already notified Clem of the possible trademark and copyright infringement of SirTanon/LinuxFreak.

[fraxinus_63]

I agree with Xenopeek's point above. People living elsewhere in the world might be surprised to know how many rural areas of Britain (where I live) have no Broadband - and often there is no plan to provide it in the foreseeable future. Downloading an ISO is not an option for them.

I believe that people who are enterprising enough to offer Mint DVDs for sale at reasonable prices, and within Clem's legal terms of reference, should be positively encouraged.

[killer de bug]

I agree with Xenopeek's point above. People living elsewhere in the world might be surprised to know how many rural areas of Britain (where I live) have no Broadband - and often there is no plan to provide it in the foreseeable future. Downloading an ISO is not an option for them.

You would probably be amazed to see how many countries can't afford to pay 10$ for a Linux CD

[fraxinus_63]

I agree with Xenopeek's point above. People living elsewhere in the world might be surprised to know how many rural areas of Britain (where I live) have no Broadband - and often there is no plan to provide it in the foreseeable future. Downloading an ISO is not an option for them.

You would probably be amazed to see how many countries can't afford to pay 10$ for a Linux CD

Oh yes, I believe you. I have lived in many places and with many people! But I still believe that there's a place for Linux ISOs supplied on DVD, if it makes it easier for more people to get hold of them than can do so at present.

I live in the countryside. I have Broadband - but I know people three miles away who don't have it and are never going to get it, realistically. Downloading an ISO is not an option for them. If they can't get DVDs from me, they have to buy a computer magazine with the right distro on it.

[kurotsugi]

I believe that's not the issue here :3
the point is that someone have created a customized mint iso and sell somewhere claiming that it was an official version. first, it's illegal to do that without mint team's concern. that iso might also not meet mint's quality requirement and hurt the mint brand's reputation. in the past there are several mint community version. people are free to do it but their iso are tested so that it meet the quality requirement.

[Skara Brae]

After reading this, I am a bit confused.

Can one sell Linux Mint to make a profit, or not?

How can those "special edition" DVD's on Amazon be proprietary software? I thought opensource (or free software, or whatever I am supposed to call it) was supposed to stay opensource? Is Linux Mint not opensource? Does it fall under the GPL? If it does, doesn't it mean that one can sell it and make a profit?

I have a friend in South Africa: years ago I sent her ("official") CD-roms of Ubuntu that I had bought online. What is the difference between those Ubuntu disks and those DVD's at Amazon?

[xenopeek]

How is it not clear?
1. You can sell the official Linux Mint ISO images, but check in with Clement Lefebvre before you do so to avoid any misunderstandings.
2. You cannot sell customized Linux Mint ISO images using Linux Mint's name, artwork or branding.

The software is licensed under a plethora of software licenses (things like Adobe Flash aren't open source for example), and you are free to use the software as the licenses permit you to do. Linux Mint's name, artwork and branding are however trademarked and copyrighted. Users can expect a high level of quality of the official Linux Mint ISO; there's no guarantee of that quality for customized ISOs as the Linux Mint QA team wouldn't have been involved with that. Hence you cannot make an customized ISO and slap the label "Linux Mint" on it--thus implying it's an official Linux Mint product that has passed the QA teams' test. If you customize the ISO, you will have to to distribute it under its own identity (replacing the Linux Mint name, artwork, and branding) and you cannot confuse users when it comes to your ISO being associated in any way or form with Linux Mint.

[superdado]

As for how you can sell Linux Mint ISOs on Amazon; if you want to sell official Linux Mint ISOs please contact Clement Lefebvre (root@linuxmint.com).

Hello Xenopeek and thank you for your great efforts in this forum.
I know this thread is a little out of date, but I run a Linux Mint "devoted" blog and YT channel.
I had the same idea: selling very good USB Drives with official ISOs, and packing up an ebook, starting with Amazon Italy.
I know GPL software can be sold, but I wanted to know wehter I could use the official logo or not.
I wrote to root address a couple of times in the last two months, explaining, concisely, my plans. But still no answer.
I'm wondering if you aware of any change on this subject.
Thank you
Dario

[Hoser Rob]

You must be crazy to try to sell Linux Mint product...
Why on earth would someone pay for something he can have for free. I would rather give $100 to the Linux Mint project than $10 to you...

+1. This sounds like the stupidest thing I've heard lately.

[mikeflan]

I'm wondering if you aware of any change on this subject.

Good question. It sounds like the 2014 thinking is (copied above from xenopeek):

Code: Select all

You CANNOT under any circumstances use Linux Mint's name, artwork or branding 
or confuse users when it comes to your product being associated in any way or form 
with Linux Mint.

I don't know if that is the current thinking, but it probably is. If it were me, I would entertain the idea of "leasing" the logo/name for maybe 5% of gross receipts with the stipulation that the official site be prominently shown on the main page. But then maybe we would have to get involved with reviewing software content to assure some level of responsible use. Maybe that is not an area we want to go down, but I would consider it.

[xenopeek]

mikeflan you're not the holder of the trademark or copyrights. Answering what you would do if you were confuses the issue I think

superdado as I understand it if somebody modifies the Linux Mint ISO and sells it as if it's Linux Mint — while it's now their work — that would confuse their customers if there's a problem with it. They'd blame Linux Mint for the problems. They'd be doubly upset because they paid for it. It would reflect badly on Linux Mint and on all the effort we put into making sure the ISOs are problem free (and known problems are documented in the release notes) with internal quality assurance testing and public beta testing. Modified ISOs haven't gone through this rigorous testing. For selling modified ISOs or using Linux Mint's name to advertise your business you need Clem's permission as he's the holder of the trademark and copyrights. I can't speak for Clem on this and I'm not privy to his mailbox so I don't know any details of your plan. But feel free to forward me the last email you sent, at admin@linuxmint.com.

Some Linux Mint users are making modified ISOs for their local communities — for example localized to their language — and I understand that to be generally fine because such are distributed gratis and it's clear that these are modified ISOs and why these are modified, with support provided by the local community.

[JosephM]

You must be crazy to try to sell Linux Mint product...
Why on earth would someone pay for something he can have for free. I would rather give $100 to the Linux Mint project than $10 to you...

+1. This sounds like the stupidest thing I've heard lately.

Well as noted above not everyone has access to the bandwidth needed. It may be one of the ways they can get their hands on it. I don't know how prevalent that is or what sort of market there would be. I've lived places where broadband wasn't a thing.