Who is using Linux for clothes detergent and why?

Jun 19, 2015 14:11 GMT  ·  By

There's a Linux clothes detergent out there, and it's a real one, from a company that has a trademark on it and that's selling it today. Welcome to the bizarre world of trademark rules.

Some of the Linux users might have heard about the Linux detergent, but probably not too many. The truth is that there is a company in Switzerland, called Rösch Group, which has the right to use this name on their products, which at this point includes Linux Ultra Activ 3L and Linux 5.1kg. One is a liquid detergent and the other, a regular one, but that doesn't make a big difference.

Linus Torvalds is only interested in programming and all the business side of the kernel never really interested him, but a couple of decades ago someone trademarked the name Linux in the US and they had to put up a legal fight in order to regain the rights, which is kind of silly if you think about it.

Linux is "foamy" in Switzerland

It looks like the Linux trademark was taken in Switzerland by Rösch Group, which uses it for detergents. It's really unclear why this has happened or why they think it would make a good name. They could have chosen Windows, which actually is a lot closer to the product.

This is the classification of the trademark: "Bleaching preparations and other substances for laundry use; cleaning, polishing, grease removing and abrasive preparations; soaps; perfumery goods, essential oils, cosmetics, hair lotions; dentifrices."

If it sounds ridiculous, that's because it is. There are other famous weird products out there, like the Ubuntu Cola, Ubuntu Coffee, and a few others, but no one really minds. In any case, the Linux trademark will expire in 2019, and it will be interesting to see if The Linux Foundation claims it, although that would be just as interesting.

This is not a serious issue and it shouldn't be treated as such. It would be the same like spotting Google pants in a store from a company that also trademarked the Google name for their clothes.