# Trademark Policy

This policy explains how the Marbor project protects its brand and how you can refer to Marbor without creating confusion.

Marbor is open source under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (Apache-2.0). The Apache-2.0 license gives you broad rights to run, copy, modify, and distribute the software code, but it explicitly does not grant permission to use the project's trade names, trademarks, service marks, or logos.

This policy applies to everyone in the Marbor community. This is a policy draft and does not constitute legal advice.

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## The Marks

The marks covered by this policy include:

- The name **Marbor**
- The Marbor logo (the golden "M" mark, including its variants in project icons, banners, and favicons)
- Any confusingly similar names, variations, abbreviations, or visual designs

These marks are owned by Anirudh Mehandru. No registration claims are made at this time.

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## Allowed Uses (No Permission Needed)

You may freely use the marks in the following situations, provided your use is accurate, truthful, and not misleading:

- **Nominative and descriptive use**: You may truthfully refer to the Marbor software in articles, blog posts, documentation, tutorials, or academic research (for example, "Tutorial: Running Marbor with vLLM").
- **Compatibility statements**: You may truthfully state that your software, plugin, or service works with, connects to, or is based on Marbor (for example, "Compatible with Marbor" or "Works with Marbor inference control plane").
- **Unmodified distributions**: If you distribute unmodified official release binaries or source archives produced by the Marbor project, you may retain the existing names and logos that accompany those releases.

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## Uses Requiring Written Permission

You must not use the Marbor name or logo in ways that suggest official endorsement, affiliation, sponsorship, or ownership without prior written permission from the project owner.

Specifically, you may not:

- **Brand a fork with the Marbor name**: If you fork the repository or create a modified version of Marbor, you must choose a distinct name and visual identity that does not include "Marbor" and cannot be confused with the official project.
- **Brand a commercial or hosted service**: You may not name a commercial product, SaaS offering, hosted control plane, or cloud service using "Marbor" (such as "Marbor Cloud" or "Marbor Hosted") in a way that suggests it is an official project service or operated by the Marbor project. You may state that your service runs or manages Marbor instances, provided it is clear that your service is independent.
- **Imply official endorsement or partnership**: You may not use the Marbor name or logo on marketing materials, websites, presentations, or business cards in a manner that implies the Marbor project or its maintainers endorse, certify, or sponsor your company, product, or service.
- **Register domains or social accounts**: You may not register domain names, social media handles, or company names containing "Marbor" or confusingly similar variants.

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## Forks and Modified Versions

Software freedom is central to Marbor. You are encouraged to fork the code under the terms of the Apache-2.0 license. However, to prevent user confusion about the source of binaries, support, and security fixes:

1. You must rename your fork to a clearly distinct name.
2. You must remove or replace the official Marbor logo and icon.
3. You may state in your README or documentation that your fork is derived from or compatible with Marbor, provided the statement is factual and does not mislead users into thinking your fork is the upstream project.

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## Requesting Permission

If you wish to use the Marbor name or logo in a way not covered by this policy, or if you have questions about whether your intended use is permissible, please contact:

- Email: `anirudh.official07@gmail.com`
- GitHub: [https://github.com/Anirudhx7/marbor](https://github.com/Anirudhx7/marbor)

Please include details about how and where you intend to use the mark, including mockups or links if applicable.