EK9 Trademark policy
Introduction
EK9 is a registered trademark in the UK (UK00003593425). The aim of registering a trademark is to ensure that members of the public are protected (i.e. developers). The aim is not to protect the trademark holder.
Developers need to be assured that when they see the EK9 trademark any associated source code is in fact valid EK9 source code. This means that any use of the EK9 trademark that confuses the public (developers) is not permitted under trademark law.
The use of the EK9 trademark has to be policed and used appropriately to retain its value for members of the public (developers). The logo must not be altered in anyway other than resizing (minimum 32x32 pixels).
Use
The intention is to enable the use of the EK9 name and logo as much as possible. Therefore 'powered by EK9' is acceptable and encouraged. The use of the EK9 logo on web sites and documentation is also permitted. No written approval is required for this use.
Inappropriate Use
Neither the EK9 name or logo (trademark) must be used:
- to refer to any other programming language (the official EK9 grammar defines the EK9 language)
- in a way the may imply association to unrelated artefacts (i.e documents, tooling, etc)
- in ways that may confused members of the public (developers or other parties)
- infer or allude to any endorsement of third party sites or persons by EK9 or its contributors
- it is acknowledged that the name EK9 can and is used in contexts other than software (Honda EK9 for example)
Requiring Approval
Any commercial activity that is undertaken that uses the EK9 name/logo in relation to the EK9 programming language, being it either electronic or physical (merchandise) must be approved.
Approval of commercial activities may require a financial contribution to support the EK9 language/platform and services, but will never be greater than 1% of gross sales (where the gross sales exceed $10,000 P/A). Below $10,000 P/A - no royalties are payable but approval is still required.
Summary
The conditions for EK9 trademark are designed to promote EK9 as a programming language and restrict/inhibit damage to the trademark so as to protect developers that elect to use it.
Commercial activities surrounding EK9 are encouraged, but cannot be exploitative or damage the EK9 trademark.