Logo War: Red Hat Takes On DataPortability

DataPortability WorkGroup is a project founded in November 2007 to develop best practices towards letting users move, share, and control their identity, photos, videos and all other forms of personal data stored in social networks and other web services. After months of positive news, the group has had its first hiccup, a cease and desist letter from RedHat over their use of the Fedora logo.

RedHat says:

Red Hat, Inc. (“Red Hat”) recently became aware that on your website, located at http://www.dataportability.org, you are using art work that is identical to the Fedora Infinity design logo owned by Red Hat. Specifically, I am referring to two images on your site: the green and white logo, as well as the blue and white logo.

Both logos contain the symbol for infinity. They are above are above for reference.

What’s my opinion? I agree with Marc Canter, who writes in an email to DataPortability cofounder Chris Saad, “Do NOT spend 0.001% of your mindshare – time – or energy – worrying about a LOGO! Get a different logo.”

The DataPortability Workgroup is an important step in the evolution of social networks. The ideas are what’s important – the logo is irrelevant. RedHat should have just let it go, but you guys can’t waste mindshare on this. Have a contest and let fans create a new logo for you.