2021.03.02 19:03 "Re: [Tiff] [Off Topic] TIFF trademark", by Roger Leigh

If Adobe were serious about defending their trademark they would have to demonstrate that they engage with people who wish to use it. The lack of engagement which they have demonstrated so far suggests they have abandoned their claims to TIFF.

There is no mention of Adobe trademarks in the TIFF specification, other than for PostScript. There is no mention of a TIFF trademark. The only reference to intellectual property is regarding the copyright and licensing of the TIFF specification text itself.

The last time this was brought up on the list, I went and checked. I found no evidence of a TIFF trademark in the USA or the UK, and I have no evidence that a trademark has ever existed for TIFF. However, I am not a legal expert and it’s possible I overlooked it. I would hope that if Leonard is claiming that this is something we should be concerned about, that there is a legal basis for the claim. Such claims should be not made lightly, or at all, if there isn’t a proper legal basis for doing so. If there is a legal basis for doing so, I would like for this mailing list to be shown the trademark registration, or any other intellectual property registration relating to TIFF, so we know exactly where things stand and what obligations and restrictions, if any, we need to consider with regard to libTIFF and TIFF usage.

Leonard, please could you confirm for the record whether there is or is not a TIFF trademark in the US or any other countries? Are there any other intellectual property rights held by Adobe relating to TIFF which we should be aware of?

Regards,

Roger