# Silo Trademark & Brand Policy

Silo's source code is free and open source under the **GNU Affero General Public
License v3.0 or later** (`AGPL-3.0-or-later`). You are welcome to use, study,
modify, and redistribute it under those terms.

**That freedom applies to the code — not to the Silo name and brand.** The Silo
trademarks identify the official project and its official builds. This policy
explains how they may and may not be used. It exists for a simple reason:
anyone should be free to fork the software, while users can still trust that
something called "Silo" actually comes from us.

## Marks covered

The following are trademarks of **Silo Media L.L.C.** ("Silo Media"), whether or
not registered:

- the names **Silo** and **Silo Server**
- the **Silo logo** and **wordmark**
- Silo **product and component names**, including **SiloRemote**, **SiloMac**,
  and other "Silo…" names
- confusingly similar variations of the above

The AGPL license over the source code **does not grant any license to these
marks.** This reservation is expressly permitted by AGPL-3.0 §7(e).

## Uses that are always fine — no permission needed

- **Referring to Silo truthfully** — "compatible with Silo," "a plugin for
  Silo," "built on Silo," "a fork of Silo." Use the word to refer to *our*
  project, not to brand *yours*.
- **Redistributing official, unmodified builds** under the Silo name, with all
  notices kept intact.
- **Running, modifying, and self-hosting** Silo for yourself or your
  organization.
- **Editorial and educational** use — articles, tutorials, talks, reviews.

## Uses that require our written permission

- Distributing a **modified version under the Silo name** (see *Forks* below).
- **Publishing an app to any app store** — Apple App Store, Google Play,
  F-Droid, or similar — under the Silo name, logo, or a confusingly similar
  identity.
- Using the marks in a **company, product, domain, or app name**, or in any way
  that implies Silo Media operates or endorses your offering.
- **Merchandise** or other commercial use of the logo or wordmark.

## Forks must rebrand

You may fork Silo — that is your right under the AGPL. But a **distributed** fork
must not use the Silo name or logo as its identity. Pick your own name and logo,
remove the Silo brand assets (below), and you may state factually that your
project "is based on Silo" or "is a fork of Silo." This is the same model used by
Mozilla, Rust, and many other open-source projects: **open code, protected
identity.**

## Brand assets are not under the AGPL

The Silo logo, wordmark, and icon files are **© 2026 Silo Media L.L.C., all
rights reserved**, and are **not** licensed under the AGPL or any other
open-source license. Any redistribution or fork must **remove or replace** them.
See the `NOTICE` file in the brand-asset directories.

## Official sources

The only official Silo software comes from:

- the **Silo-Server** organization on GitHub — <https://github.com/Silo-Server>
- the official website — <https://siloserver.org>
- official app-store listings published by **Silo Media L.L.C.**

Any app-store listing, download, or "Silo" app that does not originate from the
above is **not** official and is **not** authorized to use the Silo marks.

## Requesting permission / reporting misuse

Email **trademark@siloserver.org** with the details. We're generally glad to
grant reasonable requests — the goal of this policy is only to prevent user
confusion and unauthorized "official-looking" releases.

---

*Silo and the Silo logo are trademarks of Silo Media L.L.C. The **™** symbol is
used with the Silo wordmark until federal registration issues, after which **®**
applies.*