So we have given it enough time [0] to see where the Rust Foundation is going and it turns out that I was wrong. It doesn't look good so far and there is a reason why I said the trademarks part was 'Very important'.
The foundation is slowly consuming itself into a Linux Foundation like corporate organization that is in the interests of Big Tech companies and not the community. I had these suspicions before [1] about the way it was organized, but ignored it.
Now this draconian trademark policy is strike 3 and is already putting off those supporting the organization. Before that, it was them setting up as a 501(c)6 like the Linux Foundation and afterwards then have board seats for sale for Big Tech companies as many have pointed out [2].
It just seems that this 'foundation' has become another scam.
[0] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=24199702
> The foundation is slowly consuming itself into a Linux Foundation like corporate organization that is in the interests of Big Tech companies and not the community.
I'm amazed at how soured the Linux Foundation has become in the eyes of the Linux and open source community. Seven years ago the Linux Foundation removed the non-paid community members from the board, and we all knew the writing was on the wall.
Their hostility toward the GPL is, in my mind, the proof that the souring was justified. I'm not sure if this hostility is general to the LF as a whole, or just in the CNCF, but: the CNCF has a policy about what acceptable licenses are for dependencies of CNCF projects, there's a list of approved licenses, and if you want to add a dependency on a library with a different license, you have to apply to the CNCF board for an exception to use that library. The GPL is not on that list, and there's a note that the board has never approved an exception to allow a library with a GPL-family license.
The fact that a large sub-org in the Linux Foundation is allowed to ban the GPL is a disgrace.
> Seven years ago the Linux Foundation removed the non-paid community members from the board, and we all knew the writing was on the wall.
Which just incidentally happened the same year Microsoft joined it becoming a platinum member.
It is important to understand that while companies have board seats, so does the project, and the structure is set up such that the project members must agree with decisions.