# career-ops Trademark Policy

This document explains how the "career-ops" name and brand may be used.
It complements — not replaces — the MIT [LICENSE](LICENSE) that governs
the source code.

## TL;DR

- **MIT covers the code.** Use it, modify it, fork it, build on it.
- **This policy covers the name and brand.** It's intentionally
  permissive for community use and reserved for commercial product
  naming and endorsement.
- **In doubt? Ask.** hi@santifer.io, subject `Trademark request`.

## The relationship with the MIT license

The MIT license grants broad freedoms to use, copy, modify, and
redistribute the source code. It does not grant rights to the name
"career-ops," its visual identity, or any associated brand assets.
Those are reserved by the project's maintainer, Santiago Fernández de
Valderrama, and any successor entity stewarding the project.

This is the model used by PostgreSQL, Apache, Mozilla, GitLab, and
most mature open-source projects: the code is free, the brand is
stewarded.

## What you can do without asking

The following uses are explicitly welcome:

- **Forking and modifying the code** — per MIT, no permission needed.
- **Describing compatibility, origin, and lineage** — "works with
  career-ops," "based on career-ops," "fork of career-ops," "extends
  career-ops" are all welcome and encouraged with attribution.
- **Naming a fork distinctly** — pick your own product name; mention
  career-ops as origin if you like.
- **Educational, journalistic, and personal use** — blog posts,
  tutorials, videos, talks, papers, research.
- **Community contributions** — using the name freely in PRs, issues,
  Discord, and discussions.

## What requires written permission

The following uses are reserved because they cause — or can be
reasonably perceived to cause — confusion about official affiliation,
endorsement, or sponsorship:

- **Product, service, or company names** that include "career-ops" or
  close variants. This includes prefixes, suffixes, and capitalizations:
  "career-ops Cloud," "career-ops Pro," "career-ops SaaS," "Career-Ops
  Hosted," "CareerOps by [vendor]," "Cloud career-ops," etc.
- **Endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation claims** in any context:
  "Powered by career-ops," "Official career-ops," "Sponsored by
  career-ops," "Partner of career-ops," "Featured by career-ops," and
  similar phrasings.
- **Domain names, social handles, and app store listings** containing
  "career-ops" or close variants for commercial purposes.
- **Logos, wordmarks, color schemes, and visual identity assets** in
  any commercial context.
- **Compatibility certifications** that imply official testing or
  approval ("career-ops Certified," "career-ops Verified").

This list is illustrative, not exhaustive. The principle is: if your
use suggests an official relationship that doesn't exist, please ask.

## How to request permission

Email **hi@santifer.io** with subject **"Trademark request — [your use case]"**
and include:

1. What you'd like to use the name for
2. Where it would appear (URL, product name, marketing surface)
3. A short description of your project
4. The duration and scope of the requested use

We aim to respond to thoughtful requests within two weeks. Permission,
when granted, is non-exclusive, revocable, and limited to the specific
use case described.

## Why this policy exists

career-ops is a community-built project used by tens of thousands of
people. A clear brand allows the code to remain free, the documentation
trustworthy, and contributors confident that no one is impersonating
the project.

This policy is intended to be permissive, not punitive. If you've read
this far and are unsure where your case lands, write us — we'd rather
have the conversation than have a surprise.

## Modeled after

[PostgreSQL Trademark Policy](https://www.postgresql.org/about/policies/trademarks/),
[Apache Software Foundation Trademark Policy](https://www.apache.org/foundation/marks/),
[Mozilla Trademark Policy](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/foundation/trademarks/policy/),
and the [GitLab Trademark Guidelines](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/marketing/corporate-marketing/brand-activation/trademark-guidelines/).

## Updates

This policy may be updated as the project evolves. Material changes
will be announced in [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md).

---

© 2026 Santiago Fernández de Valderrama. "career-ops"™ is a trademark of
Santiago Fernández de Valderrama. A trademark application has been filed
with the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office (OEPM) in classes 9
(downloadable software) and 42 (Software-as-a-Service); registration
pending. International extensions under the Madrid Protocol may follow.
