Miro Transfers All Rights to Mambo Open Source CMS

Miro Transfers All Rights to Mambo Open Source CMS

Written by Mambo Foundation

Tuesday, 20 December 2005

Today, Peter Lamont, CEO of Miro, signed a legal deed granting to the Mambo Foundation the rights and interests in the Mambo name, logo, and associated trademarks. The grant of rights covers the following materials:

(a) all Miro™s right, title and interest in the Mambo Trade Marks and the Mambo Copyright Works;

(b) the full benefit of the Mambo Trade Marks and the Mambo Copyright Works subject to any licenses previously granted by Miro (e.g., the GNU / GPL);

(c) all its rights against any third party in respect of the Mambo Trade Marks and Mambo Copyright Works, including all rights of suit and action and to damages, including damages for infringements predating this document.

The grant is significant for two reasons: First the transfer gives the Mambo Foundation the legal rights to control the use of the Mambo name and logo and all rights in the underlying code of the Mambo Open Source CMS. Second, the terms of the grant require that the Mambo Foundation keep the Mambo codeset Open Source, that is, at no time is the Foundation permitted to convert the Mambo CMS into a more restrictive license.

Ric Shreves, Director of Advocacy for the Mambo Foundation noted: "This is huge news for the Mambo Community in particular and the Open Source Community at large. Here we have a rights holder who not only hands over the very valuable rights to the non-profit Foundation, but also goes further to protect the interests of the Open Source Community as a whole by adding additional assurances that Mambo remains free and open."

"The Foundation thanks Miro and Peter Lamont for this," added Shreves. "This makes good on the promise Peter made to the Community, and more."

Lamont replied, "for me this is a culmination of 5 years incredibly hard effort, putting my heart and energies on the line for something I believe in: Not just Mambo, but the community as well. I believe in the Foundation and in the Community to such a degree that I have put Mambo in their hands to run and manage as they see fit."

The cost of all this to the Foundation? One Dollar ($1).

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!