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Trademark and forks

The Cobblr code is open under the FSL. The name and the logo are separate from the code, and this page covers how to use them. The copyright license lets you copy and modify the software; it does not hand over the brand.

What the license already says​

The FSL has a short trademark clause. It says that apart from displaying the license details and identifying Cobblr as the origin of the software, you get no right to use the project's trademarks, trade names, service marks, or product names. So the code license and the name are deliberately kept apart: you may build on the code freely, and you may say your work is based on Cobblr, but the name is not yours to reassign.

Some uses are always fine and need no permission:

  • Saying your project is "built on Cobblr", "for Cobblr", or "a Cobblr module", as a plain factual statement.
  • Referring to Cobblr by name in articles, tutorials, comparisons, and talks.
  • Keeping the name and copyright notices intact when you redistribute the software unchanged.

Some uses can mislead people about who made a thing, and those need care:

  • Don't use the Cobblr name or logo as the name or logo of your own product, company, or service.
  • Don't use them in a way that suggests the Cobblr project endorses, sponsors, or maintains your work when it doesn't.
  • Don't register the Cobblr name, or a name confusingly close to it, as your own trademark, domain, or app name.

Naming a community fork​

You are free to fork Cobblr under the license. When you distribute a fork, give it its own name so users can tell your build apart from the project's official releases. A good fork name does not lead with "Cobblr" and does not read as an official edition.

  • Fine: a distinct name of your own, with an honest "based on Cobblr" or "a fork of Cobblr" line in the description.
  • Avoid: "Cobblr Pro", "Cobblr Plus", "Cobblr Cloud", or anything that reads like an official Cobblr product or tier.

The point is that someone should never install your fork thinking it is an official Cobblr release, or contact the Cobblr project for support with it. If your fork keeps the Cobblr name anywhere in its branding, make the "unofficial" part obvious.

Modules, bundles, and drivers you publish for use with Cobblr are different from a fork. You can describe them as being "for Cobblr" and name them after what they do. That is the factual, permitted use above.

note

This naming guidance is the project's reasonable default; it is not yet a formal, adopted trademark policy. If you have a specific case, or you are unsure whether a name is fine, ask on GitHub before you ship. The FSL trademark clause is the binding part; this page explains the intent around it.