docs: trademark policy aligned with the CSA on products; no logo or name on a chip

CERTIFICATION.md

@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ party can hold.
 | Audit | None | **Required** |
 | Cost | Free | **Paid** |
 | Approval | None. Self-declared | Written authorization |
-| Logo | In your app, docs, store listing | **On the product, the chip and the packaging** |
+| Logo and name | Logo in your app, docs, store listing; the name in plain text (*"Compatible with TigerTag"*) on a compatible reader, printer or software | **On the chip (any format), the product and the packaging** |
 | TigerTag+ signature issuance | — | TigerTag+ Certified scope only |
 | Product-ID allocation | — | Yes |
 | Public listing | — | Yes — in the certified registry |
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ Physical samples are tested against the conformance suite. The audit verifies th
    and you have a process to keep it correct after shipping.
 3. **Signed tags carry valid signatures**, issued by TigerTag Corp — in the TigerTag+
    Certified scope. An unsigned TigerTag+ is conformant and is not a finding.
-4. **The logo appears only where the chip actually is** — on the product, on the packaging, nowhere else.
+4. **The logo and name appear only where the chip actually is** — on the chip, the product and its packaging, nowhere else.
 5. **The tag survives the product** — placement, adhesion and readability through the spool's life,
    in the orientations a customer will actually load it.
 
@@ -132,6 +132,12 @@ On a pass, TigerTag Corp grants:
 - **product-ID allocation** in the official catalogue;
 - a **public listing in the certified registry**.
 
+**Display obligation.** A certified product line **must** show the TigerTag mark where the
+buyer can see it — on the chip, the product or its packaging, and, when it is sold online, next
+to where it is bought. The mark goes **only** on the product lines listed in the registry, never
+on the rest of a catalogue. This is the obligation the Connectivity Standards Alliance places on
+certified Zigbee and Matter products: a mark that only *may* appear tells the buyer nothing.
+
 ### 6. Surveillance
 
 Certification is not a one-time event. TigerTag Corp samples the market periodically and re-audits on:
@@ -152,6 +158,21 @@ issued by anyone else. **Revocation is technically real, not merely contractual.
 
 ---
 
+## Components: TigerTag Compliant Platform
+
+Chips, inlays, carriers, reader modules and firmware are **components**: they end up inside
+somebody else's product. A component that passes the audit is certified as a **TigerTag
+Compliant Platform** and may carry the mark on the component itself and its own packaging.
+
+A finished product does **not** become certified by containing a compliant platform. A spool
+fitted with certified inlays, or a printer built around a certified reader module, still needs
+its own certification before the mark goes on the product or its packaging — what was audited is
+the component, not how the product writes, places or uses it. Using a compliant platform does
+shorten that audit. The same rule separates Zigbee's *Compliant Platform* from a certified end
+product.
+
+---
+
 ## Rebranding a certified product
 
 Filament and resin are widely white-labelled. If you sell, under your own brand, a product already

README.md

@@ -1541,10 +1541,16 @@ Contact [tigertag@tigertag.io](mailto:tigertag@tigertag.io).
 The TigerTag logo is a trademark and its artwork is all rights reserved.
 Usage policy:
 
-- ✅ Permitted, unmodified, in apps or documentation referencing TigerTag compatibility.
-- ❌ Not permitted in product or app names (e.g., do not name your app "TigerTag Reader").
-- ❌ Not allowed for deceptive marketing or implying affiliation without permission.
-- 🔄 Logo must remain unmodified and clearly distinguishable.
+- **Permitted**, unmodified, in apps or documentation referencing TigerTag compatibility.
+- **Permitted**: the name in plain text — *"Compatible with TigerTag"* — on the packaging of a
+  reader, printer or software that reads or writes TigerTag chips (nominative use, no logo).
+- **Not permitted**: the logo or the name ("TigerTag", "TigerTag+", "TigerTag+ Certified") on an
+  **RFID / NFC chip of any format** (chip, inlay, sticker, label, card, key fob, carrier), or on a
+  **spool, resin bottle, refill or their packaging**, without written authorization and
+  certification.
+- **Not permitted** in product or app names (e.g., do not name your app "TigerTag Reader").
+- **Not permitted** for deceptive marketing or implying affiliation without permission.
+- The logo must remain unmodified and clearly distinguishable.
 
 This policy applies to everyone, whether or not they have a commercial
 agreement. Full terms: [`TRADEMARK.md`](TRADEMARK.md) and

TRADEMARK.md

@@ -2,17 +2,20 @@
 
 ## TL;DR
 
-- ✅ You can **implement the TigerTag protocol** in any product, open source or proprietary, for free, forever. See [`LICENSING.md`](LICENSING.md).
-- ✅ You can **build and sell commercial products** that read or write TigerTag chips.
-- ✅ You can say your product is **"compatible with TigerTag"**.
-- ✅ You can **display the TigerTag logo to indicate compatibility**, unmodified — in your app, your
-  docs, your store listing.
-- ❌ You cannot put the TigerTag logo **on a chip, a spool, or its packaging** without written
-  authorization. There, the logo is a mark of **authenticity**, not of compatibility.
-- ❌ You cannot **name your product or protocol "TigerTag"**, or use the name commercially as a brand.
-- ❌ You cannot **issue TigerTag+ signatures** — we hold the private key.
-- ❌ You cannot imply **certification, affiliation, or endorsement** without written authorization.
-- 🔍 **Certification is an audit, and it is a paid service** — see [`CERTIFICATION.md`](CERTIFICATION.md).
+- **Yes** — you can **implement the TigerTag protocol** in any product, open source or proprietary, for free, forever. See [`LICENSING.md`](LICENSING.md).
+- **Yes** — you can **build and sell commercial products** that read or write TigerTag chips.
+- **Yes** — you can say your product is **"compatible with TigerTag"**, including in plain text
+  on the packaging of a compatible reader, printer or piece of software.
+- **Yes** — you can **display the TigerTag logo to indicate compatibility**, unmodified — in your
+  app, your docs, your store listing.
+- **No** — you cannot put the TigerTag **logo or name** ("TigerTag", "TigerTag+", "TigerTag+
+  Certified") **on an RFID / NFC chip of any format** — chip, inlay, sticker, label, card, key
+  fob, carrier — **nor on a spool, a resin bottle or their packaging**, without written
+  authorization. There, the mark is a statement of **authenticity**, not of compatibility.
+- **No** — you cannot **name your product or protocol "TigerTag"**, or use the name commercially as a brand.
+- **No** — you cannot **issue TigerTag+ signatures** — we hold the private key.
+- **No** — you cannot imply **certification, affiliation, or endorsement** without written authorization.
+- **Certification is an audit, and it is a paid service** — see [`CERTIFICATION.md`](CERTIFICATION.md).
 
 > Say what your product *does* as loudly as you like. Only we say what a TigerTag *is*.
 
@@ -56,7 +59,10 @@ TigerTag refers to the **RFID material-identification protocol**, the **cloud se
 
 You **may** reference "TigerTag" in a factual, descriptive way
 (e.g. *"compatible with TigerTag"*, *"reads TigerTag spools"*, *"implements the TigerTag
-protocol v2.1"*) without permission.
+protocol v2.2"*) without permission — in prose, in your documentation, and in plain text on
+the packaging of a product that reads or writes TigerTag chips (see
+[nominative use](#nominative-text-on-a-compatible-product)). The name may never be printed on
+the chip itself or on a consumable: see [Product use](#2-product-use--written-authorization-required).
 
 You **may not** use "TigerTag" as the name of a competing RFID protocol, cloud service,
 company, domain, or product brand without explicit written authorization.
@@ -117,14 +123,46 @@ Conditions:
 - You must not imply affiliation, certification, or endorsement.
 - You must respect the visual guidelines in [`brand/`](brand/).
 
+### Nominative text on a compatible product
+
+A product that **reads or writes** TigerTag chips — a reader, a printer, a scale, a slicer, an
+app — may say so **in plain text** on its own packaging, product page and manual, without
+permission. This is the descriptive (nominative) use that trademark law tolerates:
+
+- **plain text only**, e.g. *"Compatible with TigerTag"* or *"Reads TigerTag tags"* — not the
+  logo, not a stylised lettering, not a badge or seal;
+- no more prominent than the surrounding text, and never more prominent than your own brand;
+- only the words needed to state the fact — no *"official"*, *"certified"*, *"approved"* or
+  *"partner"* unless you hold that status;
+- **never on the chip, nor on a consumable** (filament, resin, spool, bottle, refill) **or its
+  packaging** — there the words say *"this is a TigerTag"*, which is Product use below.
+
 ### 2. Product use — written authorization required
 
 You **may not**, without a written trademark licence from TigerTag Corp:
 
-- print, emboss, engrave or otherwise apply the TigerTag logo **on an RFID chip, an inlay,
-  a carrier, a label, a spool, a resin bottle, or its packaging**;
+- print, emboss, engrave, laser-mark, encode as artwork or otherwise reproduce the TigerTag
+  **logo or name** — "TigerTag", "TigerTag+", "TigerTag+ Certified", or any variant,
+  abbreviation or translation of them — **on an RFID / NFC chip of any format**: bare chip,
+  inlay (wet or dry), sticker, label, card, key fob, coin, carrier or any other tag housing;
+- reproduce that logo or name **on a spool, a resin bottle, a refill, or their packaging**;
 - use the TigerTag name **commercially as a brand or product designation**;
-- present the logo as a **mark of authenticity, certification, quality, or partnership**.
+- present the logo or name as a **mark of authenticity, certification, quality, or partnership**.
+
+This covers the visible surface of the tag. What the chip's **memory** carries is the protocol
+itself: writing TigerTag data, including a TigerTag+ product id, is free and always will be.
+
+Also prohibited, certified or not:
+
+- using the mark, or a modified, abbreviated or combined form of it, **in a product name, a
+  company name, a domain or subdomain name, or a social-media handle** (*"@TigerTagShop"*,
+  *"tigertag.example.com"*, *"TigerTagPro"*);
+- describing a finished product as certified because it **contains a certified component** — a
+  TigerTag Compliant Platform (see [`CERTIFICATION.md`](CERTIFICATION.md#components-tigertag-compliant-platform));
+- using the mark on a product line that is **not listed** in the certified registry.
+
+The trademark licence granted with certification is **limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable
+and revocable**: it covers the listed product lines only and ends when the certification does.
 
 Applied to a product, the mark no longer says *"this works with TigerTag"*. It says
 **"this *is* a TigerTag"** — an assertion about who made it and whether it can be trusted.
@@ -133,6 +171,24 @@ That assertion is ours to make, and only ours.
 Authorization is granted through **certification**: an audit of your product and your process,
 followed by a trademark licence. It is a paid service. See [`CERTIFICATION.md`](CERTIFICATION.md).
 
+### The model: the Connectivity Standards Alliance
+
+On products, TigerTag follows the rules the Connectivity Standards Alliance applies to Zigbee
+and Matter:
+
+- the mark on a product, a chip or its packaging requires **certification**;
+- a certified product **must display** the mark, and is **listed** in a public registry;
+- certified **components** are *Compliant Platforms*, and do not certify the product they go into;
+- the mark never goes into a product name, a domain, a subdomain or a social handle, and is
+  never modified;
+- the licence is **limited and revocable**.
+
+One difference is deliberate. Matter is reserved to Alliance members; the TigerTag protocol is
+open to everyone ([`LICENSING.md`](LICENSING.md)). So the **referential** tier stays free for
+anyone, member or not: saying *"compatible with TigerTag"* and showing the logo in an app,
+documentation or a store listing. An open standard that charged for the right to say you
+implement it would not be open.
+
 ### Why this line exists
 
 Trademark law exists to **protect the buyer**, not the brand: it prevents confusion about who
@@ -159,25 +215,30 @@ the logo descriptively; it is not a copyright licence to the artwork.
 
 | Action | Allowed? |
 |---|---|
-| Read, quote, and translate the specification | ✅ Yes (CC-BY-4.0) |
-| Implement the protocol in a closed-source product | ✅ Yes (irrevocable grant) |
-| Ship a commercial printer, slicer, or reader that speaks TigerTag | ✅ Yes |
-| Copy the sample code into your firmware | ✅ Yes (Apache-2.0) |
-| Embed `database/*.json` in your product | ✅ Yes (CC0, no attribution needed) |
-| Verify a TigerTag+ signature offline | ✅ Yes |
-| Say "compatible with TigerTag", including on a commercial product | ✅ Yes |
-| Display the unmodified logo **in your app, docs or store listing** to show compatibility | ✅ Yes |
-| Propose a change to the protocol | ✅ Encouraged — see [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) |
-| Put the TigerTag logo **on a chip, inlay, label, spool, bottle or packaging** | ❌ No — written authorization + certification |
-| Use the TigerTag name **commercially as a brand or product designation** | ❌ No (trademark) |
-| Present the logo as a **seal of authenticity, quality or partnership** | ❌ No — written authorization + certification |
-| Name your app or protocol "TigerTag" | ❌ No (trademark) |
-| Name your company or domain "TigerTag" | ❌ No (trademark) |
-| Create a competing RFID protocol called "TigerTag" | ❌ No (trademark) |
-| Issue or forge a TigerTag+ signature | ❌ No (key custody) |
-| Label your tag "TigerTag+" — a catalogue product id, no signature needed | ✅ Yes |
-| Label your tag "TigerTag+ **Certified**" without a valid signature | ❌ No (trademark + misrepresentation) |
-| Claim TigerTag certification without agreement | ❌ No — see [`LICENSE_COMMERCIAL.md`](LICENSE_COMMERCIAL.md) |
+| Read, quote, and translate the specification | Yes (CC-BY-4.0) |
+| Implement the protocol in a closed-source product | Yes (irrevocable grant) |
+| Ship a commercial printer, slicer, or reader that speaks TigerTag | Yes |
+| Copy the sample code into your firmware | Yes (Apache-2.0) |
+| Embed `database/*.json` in your product | Yes (CC0, no attribution needed) |
+| Verify a TigerTag+ signature offline | Yes |
+| Write TigerTag data — including a TigerTag+ product id — into a chip's memory | Yes |
+| Say "compatible with TigerTag", including on a commercial product | Yes |
+| Write "Compatible with TigerTag" **in plain text** on the packaging of a compatible reader, printer or software | Yes — nominative use, no logo |
+| Display the unmodified logo **in your app, docs or store listing** to show compatibility | Yes |
+| Describe your tag's data as "TigerTag+" (a catalogue product id) in your app, docs or listing | Yes |
+| Propose a change to the protocol | Encouraged — see [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md) |
+| Put the TigerTag **logo or name** on an **RFID / NFC chip of any format** (chip, inlay, sticker, label, card, key fob, carrier) | No — written authorization + certification |
+| Put the TigerTag **logo or name** on a **spool, bottle, refill or their packaging** | No — written authorization + certification |
+| Use the TigerTag name **commercially as a brand or product designation** | No (trademark) |
+| Present the logo or name as a **seal of authenticity, quality or partnership** | No — written authorization + certification |
+| Name your app or protocol "TigerTag" | No (trademark) |
+| Name your company or domain "TigerTag" | No (trademark) |
+| Use "TigerTag" in a subdomain or a social-media handle | No (trademark) |
+| Call a finished product certified because it contains a certified chip, inlay or module | No — the product needs its own certification |
+| Create a competing RFID protocol called "TigerTag" | No (trademark) |
+| Issue or forge a TigerTag+ signature | No (key custody) |
+| Describe a tag as "TigerTag+ **Certified**" without a valid signature | No (trademark + misrepresentation) |
+| Claim TigerTag certification without agreement | No — see [`LICENSE_COMMERCIAL.md`](LICENSE_COMMERCIAL.md) |
 
 ---
 
@@ -200,8 +261,8 @@ restated here.
 
 If you manufacture filament or resin and want **officially supplied TigerTag media**
 (pre-printed carriers), **TigerTag+ signatures**, **product-ID allocation**, the right to put
-**the TigerTag logo on your product or packaging**, or **certified partner status**, you need
-certification.
+**the TigerTag logo or name on your chips, your product or its packaging**, or **certified
+partner status**, you need certification.
 
 Certification is an **audit** — of your product and of your process — followed by a trademark
 licence. It is a paid service, on the model the Connectivity Standards Alliance uses for Zigbee

brand/README.md

@@ -21,12 +21,20 @@ You have a limited, revocable permission to use the TigerTag logo, **unmodified*
 a true fact about compatibility:
 
 - inside your application's UI,
-- in your documentation, README, or store listing,
-- on packaging, to indicate that a spool carries a TigerTag chip.
+- in your documentation, README, or store listing.
+
+The **name**, in plain text only, may also appear on the packaging of a product that reads or
+writes TigerTag chips (a reader, a printer, software): *"Compatible with TigerTag"*. See
+[nominative use](../TRADEMARK.md#nominative-text-on-a-compatible-product).
 
 ## What you may not do
 
 - Modify the logo — no recolouring, stretching, cropping, or recomposition.
+- Reproduce the logo or the name ("TigerTag", "TigerTag+", "TigerTag+ Certified") on an
+  **RFID / NFC chip of any format** — chip, inlay, sticker, label, card, key fob, carrier — or
+  on a **spool, resin bottle, refill or their packaging**. That is reserved to certified
+  partners with written authorization: see
+  [Product use](../TRADEMARK.md#2-product-use--written-authorization-required).
 - Use "TigerTag" in your product, company, or domain name.
 - Imply affiliation, certification, endorsement, or partner status you do not have.
 - Present your product as "TigerTag+ Certified" unless its tags carry a valid signature