PCWorld.com: San Francisco Bills IBM for Linux Love Notes

“City officials quashed some of the warm, fuzzy
feelings associated with the Linux operating system when it reached
a settlement with IBM that has the vendor paying $120,000 to
compensate the city for damages caused by a “guerrilla” marketing
campaign centered around Linux.

In April, IBM began spray-painting Linux advertisements on the
streets of San Francisco, New York, Boston, and Chicago, hoping to
raise interest in the operating system that battles software from
Microsoft and other vendors. Although the logos–a peace symbol, a
heart shape, and a tubby penguin–stirred the public, they also
triggered the ire of city officials.

‘It is the worst message that can be sent to have a corporation
sanction vandalism on city streets,’ said Gavin Newsome, a
supervisor for San Francisco city and county, who was closely
involved with the case. ‘It is contrary to what we are trying to
do, which is to add to the beauty of San Francisco and make a clean
place to live.'”

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