Official:Trademark Policy FAQ

What's the purpose of this document?
This document sets out to answer, beyond what's in the trademark policy, common questions which arise about the use of the XBMC Foundation Trademarks and Logos. Our code is free, but we do strictly enforce our trademark rights, we must, in order to keep them valid. This means that, while you have considerable freedom to redistribute and modify our software, there are tight restrictions on your ability to use the XBMC Foundation name and logos, even when built into binaries that we provide. To ensure that there is never confusion about our products and services, or our relationship with developers, partners and other members of the XBMC Foundation products and it's community. Using the marks in the ways as described in our policy will allow you to avoid negotiating agreements with XBMC Foundation and its lawyers, or receiving a request to change an inappropriate use. You must receive explicit written permission from the XBMC Foundation to use our marks in any way not described in the Guidelines and your use is subject to your agreement to be legally bound by these Guidelines, including the terms of our trademark license provided below. If you have any question regarding a proposed usage of our marks or to request permission for a certain use, please contact us here.

What are the XBMC Foundation Trademarks and Logos?
We have a list of our claimed trademarks. As other trademarks are created or registered, this list will be updated. As used in this policy, "trademarks" means not just the XBMC Foundation's logos, but also the names of its various products and projects, also called word marks, (collectively "XBMC Foundation Marks").

Can I distribute any of the XBMC Foundation software from my website, by CD, or to my friends, employees or students?
If you are redistributing unchanged official stable binaries downloaded from, to anyone in any way and for any purpose, no further permissions are required from us. We request that you distribute the latest stable version (and of course, we believe that it's in your best interest to do so as well).

Just remember to follow all requirements of the applicable open source license when distributing binaries and/or code.

If you want to distribute one of our products and this answer does not apply to you, please say so explicitly in your trademark use request, because otherwise you'll just get pointed at this FAQ entry :-)

Can I download one copy and install it on lots of machines in my company/school/university/pizzeria?
Sure. Our products are Free software, both as in speech and as in beer, and there are no fees or notification requirements. If you plan to reconfigure it and then sell the machines, we do have a policy about that.

Naming your Application or Product; Applying for a Domain
We appreciate the desire of developers to associate their products and applications with our software. To ensure that you are able to promote your integration without creating confusion about whether or not it is a XBMC Foundation product, please follow the following naming guidelines for your product and/or domain:

You may:


 * Name your website, product, or application with something unique, that satisfies the other Guidelines.
 * Feel free to include language on your site explaining that your application “Works with Kodi”.
 * Use “for Kodi” (or other marks) following the name of your application, provided that the name of your application is unique.

You may not:
 * Use our marks or derivatives thereof in the name of your application
 * Use “for Kodi” (or other marks) following the name of your application if the name of your application is not unique. For example, “Remote :* :* Control, Client, Player etc. are descriptive terms, and are not considered unique.
 * Register a domain containing one of our marks or misspellings thereof.
 * Apply for a trademark with a name including any of our marks.

These above are some examples but not limited to the usage of the policy. If you have any question regarding a proposed usage of our marks or to request permission for a certain use, please contact us here.

Using XBMC Foundation marks in your Ad or Marketing Campaign
You may:


 * Use any of the XBMC Foundation brand logos or application icons as a link to a XBMC Foundation related service, in a manner that satisfies the other Guidelines.
 * Use any of the XBMC Foundation brand logos or application icons to show that your product is compatible with our products.

You may not:


 * Use the XBMC Foundation marks in a way that might imply a XBMC Foundation partnership with, or endorsement of, your product or business.
 * Distort or alter the XBMC Foundation marks in any way.
 * Use the marks in a way that confuses any of the XBMC Foundation brands with your brand or any other brand.
 * Use XBMC Foundation slogans or copyrighted works in a manner that would suggest a relationship or commonality with XBMC Foundation.
 * Use any XBMC Foundation mark in connection with any illegal activity.

Can I put banners on my website? Can I link to you?
Thanks for your support :-) Of course you may. Just be sure to follow the Visual Identity Guidelines, Trademark Policy or any other restrictions mentioned on this page.

Can I make a t-shirt/desktop wallpaper/baseball cap with the logo on?
Sure, if it's just for you, or if it's for others and no money or other consideration changes hands.

Can I modify your logos and distribute the result?
Please don't. The logos are trademarked, and so if the result is confusingly similar to the original, or used in a confusing manner, it's a violation of trademark law.

Written Work about Kodi
You may:


 * The title of your work must clearly state that it is about Kodi (or other marks), and not written or endorsed by the XBMC Foundation. For example, “Guide to Improving ‘X’ with Kodi” is appropriate, whereas “The Kodi Guide to ‘X’” is not.
 * The Kodi mark may be used as an adjective or noun, never as verb, or in the plural or possessive form.
 * When using “Kodi” as the name of the Kodi platform, use the generic term after the mark: “the Kodi platform.”

You may not:


 * Use a confusing book title which might imply your book is endorsed or written by us.
 * Use our logo on your cover or in your title. This might be confusing and imply that the book is an official Kodi book.

Doesn't having trademark restrictions contravene the principles of free software?
No. Many free software licenses explicitly exclude rights to trademarks, and so trademark restrictions on otherwise free software is accepted by the community. We are using our trademarks as a mark of quality to protect customers - we think this is very much within the principles of free software.

If your question isn't covered here, time to move on to one of the other Trademark Policy documents.