Who Owns Linux? Linus. . .And a detergent company In switzerland…

This blog post provides some list of who owns U.S. trademarks on the word “Linux.”:

In case you were wondering–and I was, given the noises Microsoft has been making lately about the open-source operating system–Linus Torvalds does indeed own the trademark on Linux. Interestingly, so does Rosch, a detergent company based in Switzerland.

How can this be? The explanation is simple. Trademarks are a little different from patents. A patent is fairly broad, and one can’t copy or use something someone else has patented with permission (and, presumably, a royalty).

Who Owns Linux? Linus. . .And A Detergent Company In Switzerland (via /.