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[Updated on 28th October 2011]
For Immediate Help:
Please contact trademark@freecycle.org
Trademark Status in the United States
We have a trademark on our "Freecycle.org" graphic logo noted below. We do not currently have trademark rights to "FREECYCLE", "THE FREECYCLE NETWORK" and the former Freecycle logo which lacked the ".org" portion within the United States. We ask that all continue to use our "Freecycle" name as per the guidelines below so that we don't weaken our new mark which stands solely for our nonprofit mission and volunteer goodwill. Local groups within the United States should only have references to our having a trademark in the United States for "Freecycle.org", not for "Freecycle", "The Freecycle Network" and/or the former "Freecycle" logo lacking the ".org". We do have a registered mark in Canada, the EU and Australia as well as a common law mark in various other countries for one or more of these marks.
How to Use the Freecycle Trademark
For appropriately designed promotional materials please access our professionally designed brochures. Permission for printing and use of our mark may be requested by writing trademark@freecycle.org.
We are doing a really good thing here. And, we are also learning as we go, which means there will always be evolution and change. Because The Freecycle Network at freecycle.org is unique and amazingly successful, there are many who have and who would try to use it for personal gain and profit. For that reason, The Freecycle Network is incorporated as a nonprofit organization, the Freecycle.org logo is trademark protected, and we link only to those groups which are approved local groups. We need to do our best to properly use the Freecycle.org trademark so that we don’t lose the right to it.
In legalese, the use of the graphic logo "Freecycle.org" denotes a gifting service which is officially approved by the nonprofit organization The Freecycle Network, and one that the public can expect to adhere to certain standards. The Freecycle Network must approve any email list or web site that uses the term "Freecycle.org" in its name and provides any sort of exchange service.
When using the term "Freecycle.org" please do the following:
- When referring to The Freecycle Network:
When used as a trade name (think proper name), the term "Freecycle.org" may be used in place of "The Freecycle Network" to allow sentences to be more concise.For example: While The Freecycle Network has been growing by leaps and bounds, Freecycle.org also remains true to its core mission.
- Avoid using the term "Freecycle.org" as a noun or verb. For example:
Do not say "I'm a freecycler." Do say "I'm a Freecycle.org member." Do not say "Keep on freecyclin!" Do say "Keep on recyclin', my Freecycle.org friends!" Do not say "Freecycling group." Do say "Freecycle.org group" Do not say "Please Freecycle." Do say "Please join a Freecycle.org group." Do not say "There are 10 freecycles in this state." Do say "There are 10 Freecycle.org groups in this state." Do not say "freecycle's membership." Do say "Freecycle.org's membership." (Note: new groups may use the word Freecycle in their group name/title, but will not be approved with any variations of the word Freecycle in their name, title or description, like freecycler, freecycling, freecycles.)
- Attribution Statement. (This is fancy-speak for a statement attributing ownership
of a trademark to someone at the bottom of emails, etc.)
Excluding the above-noted countries, at the bottom or within the body of all official Freecycle.org web sites, articles, press releases, automatic notices, and group home pages the following trademark attribution should appear (the horizontal lines are nice because they separate it from your content but they're not necessary):
(C) 2003, The Freecycle Network. All rights reserved. The Freecycle.org logo is a trademark of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.
In group email list footers use the following (in this case include the lines to set it apart):
The Freecycle.org logo is a trademark of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.
To create the footer in your Yahoo group: a. Log into the Yahoo and go to the group page b. Click on Management on the left c. Click on Messages on the right d. Next to Subject Tag and Footer, click Edit e. Enter the text above in the Footer box (you can create the lines by using a series of dashes (-) or underscores (_) but don't let them extend too far or they'll wrap to the next line in some email programs f. Click the Save Changes button
For those with more advanced computer skills here's a couple fancy alternatives to the above method:
- You can use this image instead of the Freecycle.org logo on your group page. It
still contains the logo but it also includes the statement above:
To use this image, enter its address into the image field in your group description.
Its address is: http://static.freecycle.org/images/freecycle_logo_attr.jpg.
The logo without the attribution text can be found at http://static.freecycle.org/images/freecycle_logo.jpg.
- You can use the following HTML code in your group's description to create the
attribution statement exactly as above:
<center><hr width="600"><font size="1" "Arial, Helvetica">© 2003 The Freecycle Network (<a href="http://www.freecycle.org">http://www.Freecycle.org</a>). All rights reserved. <br> The Freecycle.org logo is a trademark of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.</font><hr width="600"></center>
- You can use this image instead of the Freecycle.org logo on your group page. It
still contains the logo but it also includes the statement above:
- The term "Freecycle.org" in text must always be capitalized to set it off from the surrounding text. Example:
Freecycle.org groups are great!
- Local groups need to use the official Freecycle.org logo. It must appear exactly as in the examples provided above. It is okay to put adornments around it and behind it. Never put anything over any portion of the logo or otherwise obscure the basic form of the logo.
- E-mail addresses with the word "Freecycle" in them. One should consider using something explanatory in addition to the word "Freecycle" in their e-mail address or ID for clarity's sake. Example: FreecycleSpringfield@hotmail.com.
- In the local Yahoo groups, articles, press releases & automatic notices: The first "prominent display" or introduction of the mark (i.e., the first time you use the term Freecycle.org in a document) needs to be distinguished from other text with a TM (to be replaced with an (R) eventually, once the trademark is registered). This is in addition to the above attribution statement (the footer-note statement noted above). So, a Freecycle.org group site should have a TM by the logo at the top and a TM by the first use of Freecycle.org in the text. The other instances of Freecycle.org can be without a TM marking, though it is still important to capitalize or color them to show they are not just common words.
-
OPTIONAL: For further information about trademarks and how to use them properly, see:
http://www.inta.org/info/faqs.html
http://www.uspto.gov/main/trademarks.htm
Questions and Answers:
- Group description/home page (Management / Description and Appearance / Description - Edit)
Group email footer text (Management / Messages / Subject Tag and Footer - Edit)
Group welcome message (Management / Membership / Welcome Message - Edit)
All automatically sent notices -- especially the Freecycle.org Etiquette document Press releases or other stand-alone documents - Flyers
A Sample Freecycle Group has been created to demonstrate how a group should look once it's set up properly. Please feel free to join and check out the group description and files. It's not a live group.
A. In HTML, use this HTML code: "Freecycle.org™" (without the quotes) to create this: Freecycle.org™ B. For plain ASCII text documents, in email, and in files in a Yahoo group, use "Freecycle.org(TM)" (without the quotes). a. For other documents, use any method available to create the TM superscript. b. There's no need to use the TM mark more than once per document. c. Do not use the TM mark in email addresses, email subject tag lines (such as [freecyclemytown]), group names, or URLs. d. Do be sure to include the footer in item 3 above, whenever possible. TIP: If you are sending an email and wish to add the TM, it makes sense to use the (TM) version rather than the superscript TM symbol (even if you know how to generate the ASCII version) because many email programs will not display it right to the recipient.
Do we currently have a trademark in the United States?
Yes. Our graphic logo “Freecycle.org” is trademark protected. However we do not currently have trademark rights for the term "Freecycle" alone or the previous Freecycle graphic logo lacking the ".org" portion. By using the "Freecycle.org" logo, we are able to clearly differentiate ourselves from copycats who do not share our nonprofit mission or volunteer goodwill who are using the term "Freecycle" alone.
Does we have a trademark outside the United States?
Yes, we do. We have a strong and established mark in about 110 countries. Further, the mark is registered (an "R") in Canada, the European Union and Australia. By using the term Freecycle with care we will be able to maintain these marks as well.
Is it okay for individual email addresses or URLs to include the term "Freecycle"?
Yes, but please make sure the word is accompanied by something explanatory, like FreecycleMytownMod.
Do personal emails about Freecycle.org need to use the TM mark or trademark attribution?
No. Having the trademark attribution in email list footers is enough.
Where are the most common places that "Freecycle.org" use should be checked?
Make sure all instances of Freecycle.org are used as an adjective or trade name. Look at the main Freecycle.org Etiquette link for good examples.
Are modified local logo graphics still okay?
Adding graphics around the mark is fine and fun. We do need to leave the logo itself unaltered (so you're OK as long as the logo and TM are not covered or obscured in any way).
What happens when the Freecycle.org mark becomes registered?
When this happens, all occurrences of Freecycle.org(TM) must change to Freecycle.org(R), and HTML code "Freecycle.org™" to "Freecycle.org®".
What about local café-type discussion groups? Should we use the term "Freecycle.org" per the guidelines above as well? Yes. Proper trademark usage is something everybody needs to observe, whether in a cafe group or in groups not even associated with Freecycle.org™. Follow the same guidelines as above.
I want to have someone look at my site, and tell me what I have to do.
OR
I want someone to come in and fix anything that needs to be fixed.
Send an email to and specify which option you are interested in. (have a look or come in)
Where can I find the official logo that is required for my site?
http://static.freecycle.org/images/freecycle_logo_clear.jpg OR (with attribution statement) http://static.freecycle.org/images/freecycle_logo_c.jpg.
How do I go about getting a specially adapted logo graphic made for my site?
Glad you asked! Click here for instructions on this!
(C) 2010, The Freecycle Network. All rights reserved. The Freecycle.org logo is a trademark of The Freecycle Network in the United States and/or other countries.