frigate/TRADEMARK.md

# Trademark Policy

**Last Updated:** November 2025

This document outlines the policy regarding the use of the trademarks associated with the Frigate NVR project.

## 1. Our Trademarks

The following terms and visual assets are trademarks (the "Marks") of **Frigate, Inc.**:

- **Frigate™**
- **Frigate NVR™**
- **Frigate+™**
- **The Frigate Logo**

**Note on Common Law Rights:**
Frigate, Inc. asserts all common law rights in these Marks. The absence of a federal registration symbol (®) does not constitute a waiver of our intellectual property rights.

## 2. Interaction with the MIT License

The software in this repository is licensed under the [MIT License](LICENSE).

**Crucial Distinction:**

- The **Code** is free to use, modify, and distribute under the MIT terms.
- The **Brand (Trademarks)** is **NOT** licensed under MIT.

You may not use the Marks in any way that is not explicitly permitted by this policy or by written agreement with Frigate, Inc.

## 3. Acceptable Use

You may use the Marks without prior written permission in the following specific contexts:

- **Referential Use:** To truthfully refer to the software (e.g., _"I use Frigate NVR for my home security"_).
- **Compatibility:** To indicate that your product or project works with the software (e.g., _"MyPlugin for Frigate NVR"_ or _"Compatible with Frigate"_).
- **Commentary:** In news articles, blog posts, or tutorials discussing the software.

## 4. Prohibited Use

You may **NOT** use the Marks in the following ways:

- **Commercial Products:** You may not use "Frigate" in the name of a commercial product, service, or app (e.g., selling an app named _"Frigate Viewer"_ is prohibited).
- **Implying Affiliation:** You may not use the Marks in a way that suggests your project is official, sponsored by, or endorsed by Frigate, Inc.
- **Confusing Forks:** If you fork this repository to create a derivative work, you **must** remove the Frigate logo and rename your project to avoid user confusion. You cannot distribute a modified version of the software under the name "Frigate".
- **Domain Names:** You may not register domain names containing "Frigate" that are likely to confuse users (e.g., `frigate-official-support.com`).

## 5. The Logo

The Frigate logo (the bird icon) is a visual trademark.

- You generally **cannot** use the logo on your own website or product packaging without permission.
- If you are building a dashboard or integration that interfaces with Frigate, you may use the logo only to represent the Frigate node/service, provided it does not imply you _are_ Frigate.

## 6. Questions & Permissions

If you are unsure if your intended use violates this policy, or if you wish to request a specific license to use the Marks (e.g., for a partnership), please contact us at:

**help@frigate.video**