openSUSE:2019 name change

NOTE THIS IS A DRAFT The Board has chosen to provide the following information around the name change vote including some key information. The final page is openSUSE:Project_name_change_vote

Summary of arguments

For keeping the current name

• Loss of brand recognition even if somewhat offset by an expensive marketing campaign. [Note: As of today there is no funding for such a campaign in sight.]
• Many members and other contributors are strongly attached to the current name.
• Changing the name might give the impression that the relationship between SUSE and openSUSE is strained.

For Changing the name

• We are endlessly complaining about wrong capitalization (and will for the rest of time), even SUSE has it easier with "only" SuSE, SuSe and Suse. [Note: Capitalization could be changed while retaining the name - like SUSE has done.]
• FSF complains about `open`, although that works with openness of the collaboration, more than `free` or `libre` would (not to mention that we do have non-free repos)
• Differences between openSUSE and SUSE can be confusing to people new to the brand. Some people have been known to shorten openSUSE to SUSE.

Depends on your view

• Closely tied to SUSE

Other Issues

Trademarks

The legal advice that the board now has says it should be possible for a "openSUSE Foundation" to hold the openSUSE Trademarks and SUSE to hold the SUSE trademarks with the two being able to be in competition. There are many examples of similar named companies competing in the same space often as a result of companies being split up.

This is not to say that an openSUSE foundation will necessarily hold the openSUSE trademarks which is a much more complex matter, SUSE has spent a lot of legal resources in the last few years defending the trademarks as they are legally required to has the holder. If the trademarks transfer this responsibility becomes that of the openSUSE foundation. The one thing the board decided on this matter at its face to face meeting is that if the trademarks are not initially transferred then we would like a contract / clause where by the trademarks would be transferred to the foundation if SUSE stopped investing in openSUSE.

In the context of this vote this means that you shouldn't take trademarks into consideration much, the board would like to know your opinion without taking into consideration the trademark issue at this stage. If trademarks do become an issue in the future the board will bring some options back to the community such as creating the foundation under a different name but not renaming anything else in the project in the short to medium term.