Re: [Foundation-l] Board statement on Wikimedia trademarks

This is the statement on trademarks mentioned earlier. It both states the approach we want the Wikimedia Foundation to take and directs the staff to carry it out. It basically sums up what our understanding has been for a long time, but hadn't really been formally stated anywhere. The board also voted unanimously to approve this. The statement follows: The Wikimedia Foundation is committed to enabling our mission through a wide network of chapters, community members, and organizational partners who are all able to better achieve their goals by identifying themselves with the Wikimedia community. Because of these efforts, there is a large amount of value and goodwill associated with the name and marks. Trademark law in the United States and internationally requires that the holder of a mark take affirmative steps to protect the integrity of the mark. However, because of our commitment to openness and community empowerment, we wish to do this in a way that allows chapters and community members to be able to continue to identify themselves with Wikimedia marks without being unnecessarily restrictive. Because of this, we ask the Wikimedia staff to take appropriate steps to register and protect the Wikimedia marks, develop a set of policies and practices, and develop a strategy to allow uses by the chapters and community for activities in line with the Wikimedia mission. --Michael Snow