# Soul Stack Trademark Policy

The Soul Stack **code** is open — [BSL 1.1](LICENSE), becoming Apache 2.0 over time.
The Soul Stack **name and brand** are a separate thing, and this policy covers them.

The two are deliberately independent: the license lets you read, build, modify, and
run the software; the trademark protects users from confusion about what is genuinely
"Soul Stack" and what is official. You can exercise every freedom the license grants
without ever needing permission for the brand — you just can't use the brand in a way
that misrepresents affiliation or origin.

> **Status:** this is a public-beta draft policy. Trademark registration and the
> rights-holding entity are being finalized with counsel; the intent below reflects how
> we ask the community to treat the brand in the meantime.

## What this covers

- The name **"Soul Stack"** (and the wordmark **soul-stack**).
- The Soul Stack **logo**.
- The component names used as identity — **Keeper**, **Souls**, **Destiny**,
  **Soulprint** — when used to designate the official project.
- The designations **"official"**, **"certified"**, and **"official managed"** in
  connection with Soul Stack.

Plugin binary prefixes (`soul-mod-*`, `soul-cloud-*`, `soul-ssh-*`) are a technical
naming convention for the ecosystem — see [Permitted uses](#permitted-uses).

## Permitted uses

You do **not** need permission to:

- **Run, self-host, and operate** Soul Stack, including commercially, and say that you
  do ("we run Soul Stack", "powered by Soul Stack").
- **Redistribute the unmodified software** under its own name, keeping the license and
  notices intact.
- **State compatibility** factually — "compatible with Soul Stack", "works with Soul
  Stack", "a plugin for Soul Stack" — as long as it doesn't imply you *are* Soul Stack
  or are endorsed by it.
- **Write and publish plugins** and name them with the ecosystem prefixes
  (`soul-mod-<name>`, `soul-cloud-<name>`, `soul-ssh-<name>`). These name *your*
  plugin for Soul Stack; they don't claim to be the official project.
- **Teach, write about, review, and reference** Soul Stack — talks, blog posts,
  tutorials, courses — using the name to refer to the project.
- **Use the name in text** to refer to the project (nominative use), without altering
  or restyling the logo.

## Uses that need permission — or aren't allowed

Please do **not**, without written permission:

- **Name a fork or a modified distribution "Soul Stack"** (or a confusingly similar
  name). If you distribute a modified version, give it your own name and describe it as
  "based on Soul Stack" or "a fork of Soul Stack" — not as Soul Stack itself.
- **Imply official status or endorsement** — "official Soul Stack", "certified", or
  "official managed" — for a product, service, distribution, or training that the
  project has not designated as such.
- **Sell "certification" or "official managed" status** on the project's behalf, or run
  a partner/certification program using the brand.
- **Use "Soul Stack" (or the logo) as the name or logo of your product, company, or
  service**, or in a way that suggests the project is the source of your offering.
- **Register domain names, social accounts, company names, or app names** that
  incorporate "Soul Stack" in a way likely to cause confusion about affiliation.
- **Modify the logo**, or use it to imply a relationship that doesn't exist.

Offering a **hosted or managed Soul Stack service** to third parties is governed by the
[license](LICENSE) (the Additional Use Grant), separately from this trademark policy;
even where such a service is licensed, it may not be presented as "official" or
"certified" without permission.

## Modified versions

If you distribute a modified version of Soul Stack, you must:

- Give it a **distinct name** that is not confusingly similar to "Soul Stack".
- Make clear it is **not** the official project and is **not** endorsed by it.
- You may still state, factually, that it is **based on** or **derived from** Soul
  Stack.

## Questions and permission requests

Trademark questions, permission requests, and partnership or certification inquiries:
**trademark@soul-stack.com**. When in doubt, ask — the goal is to keep the ecosystem
open while keeping "Soul Stack" a reliable signal of the genuine project.

This policy may be updated as the project and its legal footing mature.