Legal Issues Surrounding Xanadu®

This site contains material from a variety of sources, with the result that it falls under different licenses and copyrights.

Xanadu® name and "flaming-X" logo

The "Xanadu" trademark for software was held by XOC, Inc. from 1983 until 1992. At that time it was re-acquired by Ted Nelson, since his name is irrevocably associated with it. Since then it has been registered for software and computer services in the USA and abroad. The Flaming-X logo is also registered.

To avoid confusion with present work at Project Xanadu, the names "Udanax Green" and "Udanax Gold" will be given to these packages and their ongoing versions. However, this software was called "Xanadu Code" in the past, and of course any reference to it in the past tense may correctly refer to it under the trademark "Xanadu". It is just not being called Xanadu from now on, as it spins off into new adventures.

Udanax name and "flaming-U" logo

In 1999, as part of the open-sourcing of the Xanadu architecture, XOC, Inc. votes to change its name to Udanax.com. Both Xanadu and Udanax have agreed that the software until now referred to as "Xanadu" (particularly Xanadu 88.1 and Xanadu 92.1) is now to be released as Open Source under the X license.

All data structures previously held as trade secret by XOC, Inc. are deemed to be no longer secret and all associates and past members of Project Xanadu and XOC, Inc. are released from their non-disclosure agreements with respect to these structures.

The two principal bodies of Xanadu code from 1998-92, until now called Xanadu 88.1 and Xanadu 92.1 respectively, will be packaged for distribution at the Udanax site under the names "Undanax Green" and "Udanax Gold". We desire that development of both shall go forward according to the Open Source model, with contributions from programmers of good will around the world.

New code

Any new, original sources will probably be released under the GPL. I've spent too many years working to get this stuff out from behind corporate veils to let it slip back again. ;-)