Open Source trademark error in CACM

[Chris Ingram <chris.ingram@acm.org>]

Mr. O'Reilly,

   In your article in the April 1999 issue of _Communications of the
ACM_ titled "Lessons from Open-Source [sic] Software Development", I
believe that you state an incorrect fact.  In the first sentence of the
second paragraph you state, "Officially, open source (which is a
trademark of the Open Source Initiative - see www.opensource.org)..."

   Searching the US Patent and Trademark Office database (available at
http://www.uspto.gov/tmdb/) reveals that the term "Open Source" is a
certification mark of Software in the Public Interest (SPI).  This is also
the assertion on their web site at http://www.spi-inc.org/trademarks/.
SPI indicates, however, that the trademark is managed by Eric Raymond,
who happens to be the founder of the Open Source Initive.  OSI does not
own the trademark.  Please make a note of the error and have it
corrected.  Thank you.

--
Chris Ingram
Chris.Ingram@acm.org