Linux Mark Institute
Template:Short description Template:Infobox company
The Linux Mark Institute (LMI, fully "LMI Oregon, LLC"<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>) is an organization which administers the "Linux" trademark on behalf of Linus Torvalds for computer software which includes the Linux kernel, computer hardware utilizing Linux-based software, and for services associated with the implementation and documentation of Linux-based products.
Trademark
The Linux trademark is owned by Linus Torvalds in the U.S.,<ref>Template:US trademark</ref> Germany, the E.U., and Japan for "Computer operating system software to facilitate computer use and operation". The assignment of the trademark to Torvalds occurred after a lawsuit against attorney William R. Della Croce Jr., of Boston, who had registered the trademark in the US in September 1995Template:R and began in 1996 to send letters to various Linux distributors, demanding ten percent of royalties from sales of Linux products.Template:R A petition against Della Croce's practices was started,Template:R and in early 1997, WorkGroup Solutions, Yggdrasil, Linux Journal, Linux International, and Torvalds appealed the original trademark assignment as "fraudulent and obtained under false pretenses".<ref name="action">Template:Cite news</ref> By November, the case was settled and Torvalds owned the trademark.<ref name="resolved">Template:Cite news</ref>
History
LMI originally charged a nominal sublicensing fee for use of the Linux name as part of trademarks,<ref name="iw">Template:Cite news</ref> but later changed this in favor of offering a free, perpetual worldwide sublicense.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
LMI was headquartered in Monterey, California until at least 2005.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since at least 2009 it was headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>