# Trademark & Brand Policy

**BitCadence™** and **Drumline™** are trademarks of Batoncadence LLC (the
"Project Owner"). This policy explains how the marks may be used. It is
separate from, and not limited by, the software license.

> **Why this exists.** The BitCadence *source code* is source-available under the
> [Prosperity Public License 3.0.0](LICENSE). That license grants rights to the **code** — it
> does **not** grant any rights to the **name, logo, or brand**. Trademark
> rights are held separately by the Project Owner. This is the same model used
> by most commercial source-available projects, and it is what preserves the
> Project Owner's ability to offer a commercial edition and to license or
> transfer the brand.

## You may, without asking

- Use the names **BitCadence** and **Drumline** to refer truthfully to this
  project (e.g. "built on BitCadence", "compatible with BitCadence").
- Redistribute the **unmodified** software keeping its original name.
- Use the names in articles, talks, tutorials, and reviews.

## You may **not**, without written permission

- Use **BitCadence** or **Drumline** (or confusingly similar names) as the
  name of **your own product, company, service, domain, or a fork** offered to
  others.
- Imply sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation by the Project Owner.
- Use the marks in a way likely to cause confusion about the source of a
  product or service.
- Offer a **modified** version under the BitCadence name.

## Former name

This project was previously released as **BatonCadence**. That mark, and any
goodwill in it, is also held by the Project Owner and is asserted on the same
terms as above — the rename does not release it. Historical references to
BatonCadence in the changelog, in released artifacts, and in installed service
names refer to this same project.

## Commercial / Enterprise edition

Certain components (the enterprise connectors, trusted-header SSO, audit
export, and any hosted service) are **not** offered under the Core license. See
[LICENSE-ENTERPRISE.txt](LICENSE-ENTERPRISE.txt). The Core stays free for personal and
noncommercial use; business use, the enterprise edition and the brand are commercially licensed.

## Status & contact

> **Owner TODO (do not skip — this is what makes the brand a sellable asset):**
> file for registration of the **BitCadence** and **Drumline** word marks
> (e.g. USPTO Class 9 / 42 for software). Until registered, these are asserted
> common-law marks (™). Registration (®) materially increases the value and
> defensibility of the brand in a license or acquisition. Clear **BitCadence**
> for conflicts before filing — a rename is cheap now and expensive after a
> pilot contract names the mark.

Questions about brand or commercial use: an issue titled "Brand" on [github.com/mastalink/BitCadence](https://github.com/mastalink/BitCadence).