[SOLVED] Can I rebrand and sell LinuxMint as a linux derivat

pantheralionel · Post by **pantheralionel** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 3:55 am

Hi I think first and foremost I would like to introduce myself as a debian convert for sometime and I have tried to run Linux Mint on Sun Virtualbox and found it to be a useful derivative for both starters and semi-pros like me. I personally like Linux Mint alot because unlike its original meaning I guess of a green mint that is both refreshing and uplifting I came to see Linux Mint in the connotation of the term "Mint where money is being processed and printed". While it may require more permissions from the community as well as licensing issues in order to simply rebrand Linux Mint as for example a new logo of a $5 dollar note and a new branding name of "Five-Dollar Linux" ... i am using a copy of linuxmint-debian-201101-gnome-dvd-i386.iso to run my VM with some tweaking here and there without putting it for public yet ... some other alternatives I am looking at to create a derivative of this "Five-Dollar Linux" include Debian 6, Sunwah Pearl Linux (Chinese as my target is the chinese market), Puppy Linux and anything except Windows 7.

viking777 · Post by **viking777** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 6:09 am

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 17&start=0

HughT · Post by **HughT** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 11:09 am

Hi pantheralionel,
I'm not sure how much business you'd get trying to sell something that is free! You may charge, but who ever buys can make as many copies a they like and re-distribute them for free. I think the Chinese will catch on to that pretty quickly. Have a look at the GPL http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.htm ... RequireFee
regards

pantheralionel · Post by **pantheralionel** » Wed Apr 04, 2012 8:46 pm

THanks for the replies both this is exactly the information i require to decide what i want to do next.. perhaps just to share a little of the background that i am coming from i used to work in an MNC consultancy for close to 4 years after i graduate and after Lehmann Brothers I decided to take a hiatus as a contracting worker in the IT line for almost 2 years and at this juncture I am kinda feeling that it is either I find a new project or simply return to where I came from ie either a high school or a tertiary campus or a 9 to 5 job where I get a fixed monthly salary .

I spent almost close to a few thousand dollars trying to get myself into the position of an entrepreneur of some sort yet when reality bites in about why some business models and some business models don't the engineer in me begins to have cold feet and wonder if I had made the correct choice 2 years back to go solo (and soho?).

.. Linux Mint or any other linux is fine if I just want a derivative based on them it's just that being a Debian user for most of the recent while i guess Linux Mint makes the most sense for me to use as a base for a derivative version being sl33k, easy-to-use, and in general the support and community is considered strong in the region where I come from and live in ie East Asia.

My family has hopped onto the other bandwagon recently of trying to sell spirituality to the Chinese for a couple of eyeball and brownie points and heck it makes no sense if I try some endeavour to cross-sell God to them when there are already somebody under my same roof who is selling Buddha.. unless Pagan-ism is what I want to get my household into (not i guess).

Guess I will just go ahead and set up my Marie Digby fansite first before I drop by to experiment and tinker with Linux Mint a lil further thanks guys

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