On Thu, 2007-08-02 at 14:24 -0600, woodelf wrote: I would call it something completely different if I was going to run one. If people are going to get all precious about their valuable trademarks then sod 'em. Sellam, if you're so enthusiastic as to set up a "rival" VCF to spite someone setting up a VCF-a-like, why not just set up a VCF in the UK? Gordon

I'm not especially bothered with arguments over names / trademarks etc. but I live in the UK (number 3 for Manchester!) and would happily attend a show wherever in the country it were located. If it were within 100 miles I'd also be prepared to exhibit some of my SGI machines. I have a transit van at my disposal so could offer load space to other local exhibitors too. Regards, Austin.

Pete Turnbull wrote: Ducking in again... I think we just saw some Sellam humour, that's all :-) Personally I don't see any gain whatsoever in *not* doing any event as a VCF. Why not draw on past VCF experiences and expertise from elsewhere? Why not use the VCF name and past successes as a way of helping to attract speakers / investors to a UK event? I suspect a lot of people will underestimate the time, money and effort needed to organise and promote something like this. Anything making that a little easier seems invaluable. Don't forget that UK companies/institutions are notoriously reluctant to part with money when compared to the US - I suspect that getting the necessary sponsorship and investment is going to be a huge problem in comparison to sorting out a venue and getting hold of some interesting speakers. It *might* be possible to do something backed by the BCS - it's possible that with the right pitch they'd be interested in some sort of partial sponsorship (it helps them raise awareness of their organisation and brings in some new blood, after all). If it were done at one of the pioneering computing areas such as Bletchley or Manchester, that'd probably help too. I think it can be done, but it might be a way off - and it's important to get the first one right so that it sets the stage for future events... cheers Jules

On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 14:21:53 +0100, Pete Turnbull wrote: If Sellam is not on this list, how is it that he has posted to the list twice on this subject to the list just yesterday? I agree griping about him is rather pointless, but to claim he is not on the list is misleading. PS:Chuck Guzis wrote: "until recently, the Ku Klux Klan has been known to hold recruitment rallies." When did they stop driving over from Kokomo ? It must have been about the time Gas hit $3 a gallon :-) Back under my rock ....

This variant of this thread serves no purpose. Kill it please. Suggestion: Less posturing about rights and personalities, more posting about classic computers and supporting the growth of the hobby. Perhaps if we spent more time discussing having a UK "event", and less time about personalities and posturing - an "event" would have already been organized. Jay West PS - it's rather obvious to list regulars that Sellam does read this list ----- Original Message ----- From: "Evan Koblentz" <evan at snarc.net> To: "'General Discussion: On-Topic and Off-Topic Posts'" <cctalk at classiccmp.org> Sent: Friday, August 03, 2007 7:50 PM Subject: RE: UK VCF?

On Fri, 2007-08-03 at 12:38 +0100, Simon Fryer wrote: 1) No, "Vintage Computer Festival" is not trademarked internationally, nor do I have any inclination to invest the enormous amounts of money to do so. Besides, if anyone did want to try to put on a vintage computer festival and call it the "Vintage Computer Festival", there's a simple solution to that: I would hold a real Vintage Computer Festival down the street from theirs on the same dates and advertise the hell out of it and ensure that the wannabe "VCF" only got two attendees (who would be stragglers from the real VCF up the way ;) 17:50BST, 2/7/2007 or thereabouts I'd rather not use the name at all, if that's the sort of attitude we're facing. This is not to say anything against Sellam, who does great and important work for the classic computing community; I'd rather just use a different name and avoid any potential hassle. Sellam can run a VCF-UK if he likes, and I'll be glad to see it and perfectly happy to come along with a stand. Now we're getting down to it. It might be worth talking to the organisers of other computery events, in particular Linuxy ones (rather than the "computer fairs" that are just car boot sales of pirate DVDs and cheap crappy hardware). I was at LugRadioLive last month - maybe we should discuss it with the organisers of that? Gordon

The original in the thread was about someone stating that they would steal the name to spite Sellam and what could he do about it. That was his response to such a post. Things always sound a little different out of context. How many VCF's have you been to? You seem to be a judge as to how well or not how well such evens go. I've been to several here on the West Coast of the US. Having seen pictures of many that are first time events in many locations, I can tell you that the longer running events here on the West Coast have matured quite well. Exhibit quality and content has improved year after year. The speakers have been the type that many pay considerable money for to hear speak. He usually has a consignment table as well as some space for those who want to sell items. I've always considered it just rounding out the show and not something to be ashamed of but I guess those in the UK see things differently. In any case, Sellam has also made it clear that he would be willing to work with anyone willing, in the UK to honestly work toward setting one up. Not living that requires someone local to work the logistics. There or a few on this list that have held grudges against Sellam for various reasons. None of which are related to his ability to organize these shows. Dwight _________________________________________________________________ Tease your brain--play Clink! Win cool prizes! http://club.live.com/clink.aspx?icid=clink_hotmailtextlink2