Trademark case studies
A Trademark case study is an practical example of a way someone might want to use the sugar labs trademark. We use it as a way to test different trademark policy options - how would it cope with that case?
A good case study is one which describes a real use which will stimulate us to think about how we would like our trademark to be used. It doesn't have to be a borderline 'edge' case. It is probably best to start with the clear cut cases then consider the limits later.
How to write a case study
- Look at the case studies below.
- If you can see a way to make one of those case studies better then edit that case study.
- If you think of a way that someone might want to use the sugar labs trademark - that doesn't duplicate one of the case studies already here - then add that case study at the end of the page or wherever it best fits.
- Follow the format of the other case studies here unless you think of a better format.
Used to label a computer with sugar installed
You are a chinese toy manufacturer and you are tired of selling toys to Fisher Price for 99cent then watching them resell the same toy for $99. You have developed a cool looking child friendly green computer that is probably not toxic and can run sugar but no one will buy it because no one has ever heard of you.
You want to put a big picture of the sugar home screen and a CONTAINS SUGAR decal on the box because then it will look a bit like the XO.
Should we approve this use of our trademark?
Do it like Microsoft - you can only put the CONTAINS SUGAR decal on the front if the computer meets our minimum specification. If it doesn't meet that specification then you can put contains sugar operating system (R) in small print in the specification box on the back.
How should the policy work to achieve this
All uses of the decal need a contract. For this case we can use a standard contract available for download as a pdf from our trademark info page.
Sugar on a stick
You want to sell bootable usb drives with the official sugar on a stick distribution and you want sugar labs silkscreened on the outside of each one.
Should we approve this use of our trademark?
Yes.
What should the policy be?
Is approval automatic or do we insist you tell us your real name and your address first. Do we demand that you report back how many copies you sold and to who?
Sugar on a stick with extra stuff
You want to sell bootable usb drives with a version of sugar on a stick that has been revised to make it more culturally appropriate by adding references to your god at the start and end of each activity.
Should we approve this use of our trademark?
No. It isn't our approved version of the software.
What should the policy be?
If you have adapted our work then we don't know for sure what you changed so we don't want people blaming us for what you did. You can put "Based on the sugar software system" in the small print. If you want your changes included in the our version then submit those changes to us for consideration.
Sugar cubes
You sell sugar cubes and you think our logo looks good so you copy it and put it on your boxes of sugar cubes.
Should we approve this use of our trademark?
Hmmm. Maybe we should have picked a name which was less generic.
What should the policy be?
If you sell sugar then we can't stop you calling it sugar but leave the logo alone.
Sugar development laboratory
You are Slovakia's leading developer of sugarbeet processing equipment, serving the sugar beet industry throughout Slovakia and parts of Ukraine and Hungary. Sugar Labs is the name you use for your research reports, including the sugar beet related software you market throughout central eastern Europe.
Should we approve this use of our trademark?
Oh dear. Don't know.
What should the policy be?
More stuff goes here.
Look and Feel
You think Sugar is a stupid name for a software distribution but you like the stylised man surrounded by menu options so you use that look and feel in your proprietary hedge fund management software
Should we approve this use of our trademark?
The look and feel is a pretty fundamental part of the software which we have licensed under the GPL. Stopping them using that would pretty much stop them using sugar at all. Wouldn't that be against the GPL? Would we even want to regulate that use?
What should the policy be?
More stuff goes here.
Name of case study
Description of this case.
Should we approve this use of our trademark?
Stuff goes here.
What should the policy be?
More stuff goes here.