<div dir="ltr">Agreed. That's why it is a case-by-case issue. A generic term like "responsive" has several meanings.<div style><br></div><div style>But Apple very much would have a Trademark infringement claim if someone made a "Granny Smith Apple OS". Likewise, Emil would have a valid complaint if someone made a "Responsive Reloaded" or "Better Than Responsive" Theme name.</div>
<div style><br></div><div style>See what I mean about subjectivity? It's messy. It's ugly. It's subject to interpretation and opinion.</div><div style><br></div><div style>My goal is to balance due diligence against the need to have a law degree just to review Themes.</div>
</div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 7:17 PM, Merci Javier <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:mercijavier@gmail.com" target="_blank">mercijavier@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><br>There's no trademark infringement on one word, specially none as generic as responsive. If one put an "Apple" theme where design was about apples etc., Apple can't touch that. I know of a company who sued a competitor for using Yellow Pages plus and lost, didn't get to court, got thown out. <br>
<br>So in effect, if someone used My Responsive World as theme name, that's no cause to reject the theme. No infringement at all.<br>
<br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="im">On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 3:49 PM, Chip Bennett <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:chip@chipbennett.net" target="_blank">chip@chipbennett.net</a>></span> wrote:<br></div>
<div><div class="h5"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">
<div dir="ltr">And that is the reason for the wording against overly generic "related" terms in Theme names. "Responsive" is pretty close to that line, for exactly the reasons being brought up here.<div>
<br></div><div>(And this sort of thing is the reason that I've always tried to push for Guidelines to be as objective as feasible: the Theme Name guideline is very much subjective, and thus a potential source of confusion, disagreement, and inconsistency. Though, I don't know that the Theme Name guideline could feasibly be made any less-subjective/more-objective.)</div>
</div><div><div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 6:42 PM, Stuart Wider <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:stuartwider@gmail.com" target="_blank">stuartwider@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Emil,<div><div>I would say that Twenty Eleven is a subtly different kind of name, when its usage is for themes, </div>
<div>
Twenty Eleven is not commonly used as a web design or theme related term.</div><div>Whereas for example, Responsive or Mobile are commonly used web or theme design terms and therefore useful in titles so that users know exactly what kind of theme it is just by looking at the name .</div>
<div><div>
<div><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 9:43 AM, Emil Uzelac <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:emil@themeid.com" target="_blank">emil@themeid.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><font color="#333333"><font><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Hi Stuart,</font></font></font><div>
<font color="#333333"><font><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br></font></font></font></div><div>
<font color="#333333"><font><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Here's me speaking from TRT point of view and taking "Responsive" out.</font></font></font></div><div><font color="#333333"><font><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"><br>
</font></font></font></div><div><font color="#333333"><font><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">Twenty Eleven is a number "2011", even more common than the word</font></font></font></div><div><font color="#333333"><font><font face="arial,helvetica,sans-serif">"Responsive", but we still can't use "Super Twenty Eleven".</font></font></font></div>
<div><font color="#333333" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><font color="#333333" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Thanks,</font></div><div><font color="#333333" face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif">Emil</font></div>
</div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div>On Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 5:03 PM, Stuart Wider <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:stuartwider@gmail.com" target="_blank">stuartwider@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
</div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div><span style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif">Hi Guys,</span></div>
<div><span style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif">I note that in the theme review guidelines that is says...</span></div>
<span style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif">"Themes are </span><b style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif">not</b><span style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif"> to use related Theme names (e.g. </span><i style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif">WP Twenty Eleven</i><span style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif">, </span><i style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif">Twenty Eleven WP</i><span style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif">, </span><i style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif">The Twenty Eleven</i><span style="line-height:22px;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif">, etc.) in their name"</span><div>
<br></div><div>Does this mean that if a theme on the repository already has used a particular word in its name that it cannot be used in another themes name?</div><div><br></div><div>Lets take Emil's theme for example.. The word 'Responsive' is a common usage word.</div>
<div><br></div><div>Does the rule above intend that no other theme could use a common usage word such as 'Responsive' in their title, and that Responsive theme itself has the only rights to use that word in a title, on first come first served basis?</div>
<div><br></div><div>Here's some quick made up examples of what I mean...</div><div><br></div><div>Super Responsive</div><div>Mobile Responsive</div><div>Responsive to the Max</div><div><br></div><div>Would those pass as theme names with the above rule? or not allowed?</div>
<div><br></div><div>If those names were not allowed then it would follow that if I decided to release a theme called 'Mobile' then no one else would be able to name their theme with the word 'Mobile' in it eg. Ultra Mobile, Mobile Plus, Mega Mobile.</div>
<div><br></div><div>To sum up...</div><div>I'm seeking clarification on whether common usage words can be included in new theme name, even if an existing theme uses the common usage word. </div><div><br></div><div>Its an interesting conundrum ;)</div>
<div><br></div><div>Many Thanks,</div><div>Stuart</div>
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