Archive: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.

What are the XBMC Foundation Trademarks and Logos?

We have a list.

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 WEBSITE.ORG, 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). The notification requirements of the GPL v2 have been met for our binaries, so although it's a good idea, you are not required to ship source 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.

Can I put MEDIACENTER 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.

What about use of screenshots etc.?

Approval is not required for the following fair uses of the XBMC Foundation marks:

1. screenshots of our software or our web site in magazine articles or reviews of our software
2. the inclusion of MEDIACENTER windows in screenshots of other web sites for non-commercial uses such as web site reviews
3. on-screen displays of XBMC Foundation products in television programs or movies.

You may also use screenshots of XBMC Foundation products in commercial books and publications, both where the products are the focus and where they are not (e.g. screenshots of web pages or emails).

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.

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.