Year 2003 Review

'Mozilla.org stole "Firebird" name from FirebirdTM - a relational database project?'

Not really. They didn't 'steal' it, though perhaps it was an unfortunate choice.

FirebirdSQL (http://www.firebirdsql.org/) is an open source database. There's lots of other products called Firebird (including a BBS, a financial software company, a games manufacteur and a Fenix IDE - all called 'Firebird' before the database existed) and under trademark law that's okay because they are not operating in the same areas.

Mozilla renamed Phoenix to Mozilla Firebird because there was already a browser called Phoenix. The decision was approved by AOL's legal team as fine. So despite what the some people at FirebirdSQL say, the name is legally watertight.

Whether it is morally right is another matter. Should they have used the same name as another open source project? Personally, I think it was a bad decision.

However, FirebirdSQL lost a lot of sympathy by their reaction to the renaming. Instead of calmly contacting mozilla.org, they encouraged their supporters to go on a mailbombing campaign. They had a page on their site (now removed) that listed over 20 email addresses they encouraged people to spam and told their users to troll around MozillaZine and Slashdot (even though both are completely independent of mozilla.org - it got so bad that MozillaZine had to disable their forums for a while as their server couldn't take it).

Instead of retaillating, mozilla.org set up formal communication with FirebirdSQL. In the same vein MozillaZine interviewed the head of FirebirdSQL to get their side of the story. FirebirdSQL called off their mailbombing protest and... threatened to sue mozilla.org and anyone that uses the Firebird name! This included Linux distributers and news sites (such as MozillaZine, Slashdot, News.com and anyone else who used the Firebird name in relation to Mozilla (which would now include SillyDog701)). Obviously, there's no chance they'd win (which is probably why they haven't done it), as Mozilla's use of the name is legally okay and FirebirdSQL would have to sue people who had the name before them (which they'd obviously never win).

To settle things mozilla.org insisted on the browser being called 'Mozilla Firebird' at all times and confirmed that the name would change when Mozilla Firebird and Mozilla Thunderbird replaces the suite (as was always the plan).

FirebirdSQL brought in an 'independent' mediator to help solve things. This did do some good (FirebirdSQL finally apologised for the mailbombing), but it all fell apart when it came out that the mediator had been on FirebirdSQL's side all along. Since then FirebirdSQL have been very quiet.

There was lots of media coverage of the events. At first the media tended to side with FirebirdSQL (often because FirebirdSQL badgered them to run articles in the first place and because it's always easy to side with the perceived underdog), but the tide turned when the full extent of FirebirdSQL hypocracy, mailbombing campagin and crooked mediator came out. Their plight may have got sympathy, but their actions certainly didn't.

FirebirdSQL:
http://www.firebirdsql.org/
http://www.ibphoenix.com/

MozillaZine's coverage:
http://www.mozillazine.org/firebirdnamingconflict/

Slashdot's coverage:
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/15/0137251&tid=154
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/15/211228&mode=thread&tid=167&tid=99 (scroll down)
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/18/0344251&tid=154
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/22/153205&tid=154
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/04/26/1258205&tid=154
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/05/14/1717258&mode=thread&tid=126&tid=95&tid=154

MozillaZine links to many more media articles. Others can be found by searching Google or the like.

Response to the previous commenter:

Overall, nice summary.

However, I don't think the MozillaZine Forums went down specifically because of the actions of the Firebird database community - I recall that it was more just general high load and the fact that the we were reapidly outgrowing the server at that time (it's since been replaced).

As for the media coverage, I felt that it initially sided with the database people, then swung round to Mozilla's side but went back to the database people after the branding guidelines were published and the database people claimed victory. The Chris Blizzard interview and Walther's antics restored the balance somewhat but the story was dying out by then.

mozilla.org really should have put more effort into their PR. The Firebird database people were very good in that area and I have no doubt that some media articles were written solely because they contacted the news sites first. mozilla.org, on other the hand, was silent for a long time and, when they did speak, they didn't really tackle the core issues (maybe they wanted to avoid intensifying the conflict). We actually had to initiate contact with mozilla.org to get the Blizzard interview when - if they were being more proactive about their PR - they should have been falling over themselves to get their side of the story across.

The sad truth is that the legal rights and wrongs really take a back seat to the PR war.