#use wml::debian::template title="Debian's Trademark Policy"

<h1>Trademark Licensing Policy</h1>
<p><em>Debian</em> is registered trademark of <a
href="http://www.spi-inc.org/about-spi/trademarks">Software in the Public
Interest, Inc.</a> and managed by the Debian project. 

<p>The trademark was <a
href="http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=75386376">registered</a>
the 21st of December of 1999 but has been in use since August 1993. It is
registered under the Nice Class 009: "Computer Utility and Operating
System Software".

<p>The current policy was <a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-announce/debian-announce-1998/msg00006.html">announced</a> by
Bruce Perens, Debian Project Leader, in 1998:</p>

<p><q>We allow all businesses to make reasonable use of the "Debian" trademark.
For example, if you make a CD of our Debian GNU/Linux distribution, you can
call that product "Debian". If you want to use the name in some other way, you
should ask us <b>first</b>.</q></p>

<p><q>To be fair to all businesses, we insist that no business use the name
"Debian" in the name of the business, or a domain name of the business.</q></p>

<h2>Work in Progress</h2>

<p>As <a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2003/10/msg00003.html">announced</a>
by Martin Michlmayr, Debian Project Leader, in 2003 (also available
as SPI resolution <a href="http://www.spi-inc.org/corporate/resolutions/2003-06-03-bmh.1">2003-06-03-bmh.1</a>, a Trademark Committee was started
to review SPI's trademark policy. This committee can be contacted at
<a href="http://lists.spi-inc.org/listinfo/spi-trademark">
spi-trademark@lists.spi-inc.org</a>.

<p>Currently there are two drafts for the trademark policy, one drafted by <a
href="http://wiki.mako.cc/TrademarkFreedom">Benjamin Mako Hill</a> and a
different one drafted by 
<a href="http://wiki.debian.org/ProposedTrademarkPolicy">Branden Robinson</a>.


<h1>Registration outside the US</h1>

<p>A similar trademark is registered by some other associations related to the
Debian Project over the world, this includes <a
href="http://www.debian.or.jp">debian JP</a> in Japan (<a
href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-legal/2002/09/msg00161.html">registered</a>
in 2002), as well as Stiftelsen SLX Debian Labs in Norway and Vincent Renardias
in France.

<h1>Organisations licensed to use the trademark</h1>

<p>The following organistions have been licensed to use
the Debian trademark through a License Agreement:

<ul>

<li>Stiftelsen SLX Debian Labs, per SPI's resolution
<a href="http://www.spi-inc.org/corporate/resolutions/2004-01-05-bmh.1">
2004-01-05.bmh.1</a>)

<li>Vincent Renardias and <q>Les logiciels du soleil</q>, per SPI's resolution
<a href="http://www.spi-inc.org/corporate/resolutions/1999-08-06.mgs">
1999-08-06.mgs</a>.

<li>The Debian UK Society, <a href="http://lists.debian.org/debian-project/2005/08/msg00280.html">by Branden Robinson</A>, Debian Project Leader.

</ul>