Plea for help from Horowhenua Library Trust

Posted on Posted in Uncategorized Tagged with , ,

Update

(by Liz Rea on behalf of the community):
There has been a lot of news in the last 24 hours – much of it has been collected in this Zotero group. Coverage of the story includes three radio stories, one TV clip, blog posts, tweets, Facebook and G+ updates. We are overwhelmed by the support we are getting from around the world – thank you so much for your time, money, tweets, and attention to our plight.

We learned a few hours ago of a press release and statement from a LibLime/PTFS staff member that states their intention to transfer the TM to the Horowhenua Library Trust. However, as of this writing there has been no official communication between LibLime/PTFS and HLT that I am aware of. We will update this post again when we have more information, and thank you again (and again) for your support.

Original Post

Horowhenua Library Trust is the birth place of Koha and the longest serving member of the Koha community. Back in 1999 when we were working on Koha, the idea that 12 years later we would be having to write an email like this never crossed our minds. It is with tremendous sadness that we must write this plea for help to you, the other members of the Koha community.

The situation we find ourselves in, is that after over a year of battling against it, PTFS/Liblime have managed to have their application for a Trademark on Koha in New Zealand accepted. We now have 3 months to object, but to do so involves lawyers and money. We are a small semi rural Library in New Zealand and have no cash spare in our operational budget to afford this, but we do feel it is something we must fight.

For the library that invented Koha to now have to have a legal battle to prevent a US company trademarking the word in NZ seems bizarre, but it is at this point that we find ourselves.

So, we ask you, the users and developers of Koha, from the birth place of Koha, please if you can help in anyway, let us know.

Help the cause – contribute to our legal challenge fund:

Contribute using PayPal

NZ cheques can be made out to Horowhenua Library Trust and posted to:

Levin Library, 10 Bath Street, Levin 5510

Bank deposits can be made to this account:

Te Horowhenua Trust, Westpac, Levin, NZ. 030667-0299274-00  REF: Trademark

69 Comments on “Plea for help from Horowhenua Library Trust”

  3. Trade marking the word “koha” is like trade marking the word “gift”. A koha is a gift given by the manuhiri to the tangata whenua. Surely there are some lecturers in the Maori Department at the University of Waikato who would be able to help with this. No one should ever trade mark te reo Maori words. I am sure it is tapu to do so.

  4. This is sad indeed. I would like to help in any way I can.

    Also do you have a NZ bank account number? Would rather not have Paypal skim a % off my donation!

  6. Thanks for your supportive comments (and outrage). The amazing level of support we have received today has justified a very difficult decision we took to make this battle public and ask for help.

    We need to file an objection with IPONZ against the PTFS / Liblime application. If IPONZ confirm its validity and PTFS / LibLime don’t agree to withdraw their application, then we can apply to have it heard in a tribunal (like District Court level) and then on to High Court if PTFS/LibLime continue to pursue the matter.

    Donations by cheque can be made out to Horowhenua Library Trust and posted to Levin Library, 10 Bath Street, Levin, 5510, NZ.

    Thanks for the support – moral and financial 🙂

  7. Hiya. A Facebook friend of mine shared this, and I’ve started to help spread the word. Have you considered approaching the main media outlets? Also, for those of us local, is there anything that we less financially well-off can do to support you?