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, butit 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.

Background reading:

   - Code4Lib article <http://journal.code4lib.org/articles/1638>: How hard
   can it be : developing in Open Source [history of the development of Koha]
   by Joann Ransom and Chris Cormack.
   - Timeline <http://koha-community.org/about/history/> of Koha
   :development
   - Koha history visualization <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tl1a2VN_pec>


Help us
If you would like to help us fund legal costs please use the paypal donate
button below.




Otherwise, any discussion, public support and ideas on how to proceed would
be gratefully received.

Regards


Jo.

-- 
Joann Ransom RLIANZA
Head of Libraries,
Horowhenua Library Trust.