[Marketing] Trademark FAQ Review

[Cameron Shorter]

On 24/11/10 08:07, Alex Mandel wrote:
>> * Under OSGeo Chapter
>> >  I suggest changing the following:
>> >  "Chapters may either display their own logo alongside the OSGeo logo
>> >  and/or use a slightly modified version of the OSGeo logo."
>> >  to
>> >  "Chapters may display their own logo and/or the OSGeo logo.  Chapter
>> >  logos can be a modified version of the OSGeo logo."
>> >  
>> >  Note that some chapters have modified the OSGeo-Logo image. Eg Aust-NZ:
>> >  http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/Aust-NZ
>> >  
> Actually I meant what I said. Since the decision is still out, we never
> reached a conclusion in the marketing committee, and possibly requires
> the board to nod in approval, I was erring on the cautious side which is
> that sure it's ok to modify the OSGeo logo if you are a chapter but you
> also should show the regular OSGeo logo with it. To me this is the only
> way to really play it safe under Trademark laws, and to be clear when a
> Chapter is recognized by OSGeo and demonstrate it's relationship to OSGeo.
>
> You can see from the language I chose, that I'm discouraging, but not
> banning the use of a highly modified OSGeo logo without also putting the
> regular osgeo logo on the page. The wiki page you mentioned actually
> meets this recommendation, as the OSGeo logo is in the upper left of the
> page.
>
> Note: Copyright isn't an issue because we can easily do a CC-NC but
> Trademark is a whole different game. There's also the question of Brand
> dilution.

I think it inappropriate to mandate that a local chapter logo can only 
be used if the OSGeo logo is used at the same time, primarily because 
volunteers will use the logo without reading what the logo guidelines 
are. And volunteers will likely write a letter to their local council 
with the local chapter logo on the letter head, (and will forget to use 
the OSGeo logo) and that should be ok.