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You may want to update your logo: The importance of Ansible trademarks The Ansible trademark and the “A” logo in a shaded circle are our most valuable assets.

You may want to update your logo: The importance of Ansible trademarks The Ansible trademark and the “A” logo in a shaded circle are our most valuable assets. The value of these trademarks encompass the Ansible Brand. Effective trademark use is more than just a name, it defines the level of quality the customer will receive and it ties a product or service to a corporate image. A trademark may serve as the basis for many of our everyday decisions and choices. The Ansible Brand is about how we treat customers and each other. In order to continue to build a stronger more valuable Brand we must use it in a clear and consistent manner. The mark consists of the letter “A” in a shaded circle. As of 5/11/15, this was a pending trademark (registration in process). https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/dev_guide/style_guide/trademarks.html https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/latest/dev_guide/style_guid...

nerdponx 5y ago
The slanted bar in the "A" is slanted the other way, the letter "A" is not alone but includes the full name "APSE", the rest of the typeface is pretty different (the "E" for example), and it's inside a rectangle, not a circle. IANAL but this seems like a pretty weak resemblance. Edit: I hope you aren't an official representative of Ansible.
- davis_gravis 5y ago
  Not a rep
eitland 5y ago
> The Ansible trademark and the “A” logo in a shaded circle are our most valuable assets. The value of these trademarks encompass the Ansible Brand. Ironically not used a single time on the front page of ansible.com as far as I can see on my iPhone XR. (I also couldn't find a single case of A in shaded circle on the APSE page but I admit I could be missing something.)
- davis_gravis 5y ago
  Their logo
  - haswell 5y ago
    And where does that logo show up on ansible.com? Confirming what the parent comment mentions: I don’t see this logo anywhere (also on mobile).
    - davis_gravis 5y ago
      For the OPs website, the top left (on mobile) uses the Ansible A, mirrored. Not a big deal just trying to make sure they’re aware that it’s trademarked
      - blooalien 5y ago
        I honestly don't think there's enough similarity there to be considered any sort of trademark infringement. I think if Ansible tried to test that in court they'd likely get shut down pretty quickly. Just for starters, even if you mirror the A like you say, they're not the same font when overlaid for direct comparison. There's also the difference between an A in a black circle and four letters (APSE) side by side in a black rectangle. No judge in their right mind would see any sort of trademark infringement between those two logos.
        angus-prune 5y ago
        Trademark law is less about these sorts of technicalities and more about the general impression in the mind of the consumer. Would someone confuse the two logos? When seeing just the "A" as used in Apse.io's favicon, I wouldnt be able to tell if it was Ansible or Apse without double checking which way round each was, and which font each was. Most of the "Kelvin Clein" fakes that you see are not actually skirting around the trademark, and rely on never actually being tested in court. At most it pushes enforcement from the front lines of "this is a fake" to the courts with "prove this is a fake". For instance, in the UK, an off brand clone of Hendricks Gin has been sued for trademark infringement and this article gives a good breakdown of the legal issues[0]. Examples of the different designs here[1]. Its not a given that Apse is infringing, or that Red Hat would sue over it. But given how much easier it is to change these things when the project is young, I'd suggest the author change the logo. Apart from anything else, the similarity to Ansible works against Apse's own notability. [0] https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=dcae4558-12e3-472c-b0de-38e6124122f6 https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=dcae4558-12e3... [1] https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/2048/cpsprodpb/1580C/production/_118667088_3d88b88a-a1fb-49bd-ac26-547f3b7303e9.jpg https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/2048/cpsprodpb/1580C/productio...

nerdponx 5y ago

The slanted bar in the "A" is slanted the other way, the letter "A" is not alone but includes the full name "APSE", the rest of the typeface is pretty different (the "E" for example), and it's inside a rectangle, not a circle. IANAL but this seems like a pretty weak resemblance. Edit: I hope you aren't an official representative of Ansible.

davis_gravis 5y ago
Not a rep

eitland 5y ago

> The Ansible trademark and the “A” logo in a shaded circle are our most valuable assets. The value of these trademarks encompass the Ansible Brand. Ironically not used a single time on the front page of ansible.com as far as I can see on my iPhone XR. (I also couldn't find a single case of A in shaded circle on the APSE page but I admit I could be missing something.)

davis_gravis 5y ago
Their logo
- haswell 5y ago
  And where does that logo show up on ansible.com? Confirming what the parent comment mentions: I don’t see this logo anywhere (also on mobile).
  - davis_gravis 5y ago
    For the OPs website, the top left (on mobile) uses the Ansible A, mirrored. Not a big deal just trying to make sure they’re aware that it’s trademarked
    - blooalien 5y ago
      I honestly don't think there's enough similarity there to be considered any sort of trademark infringement. I think if Ansible tried to test that in court they'd likely get shut down pretty quickly. Just for starters, even if you mirror the A like you say, they're not the same font when overlaid for direct comparison. There's also the difference between an A in a black circle and four letters (APSE) side by side in a black rectangle. No judge in their right mind would see any sort of trademark infringement between those two logos.
      - angus-prune 5y ago
        Trademark law is less about these sorts of technicalities and more about the general impression in the mind of the consumer. Would someone confuse the two logos? When seeing just the "A" as used in Apse.io's favicon, I wouldnt be able to tell if it was Ansible or Apse without double checking which way round each was, and which font each was. Most of the "Kelvin Clein" fakes that you see are not actually skirting around the trademark, and rely on never actually being tested in court. At most it pushes enforcement from the front lines of "this is a fake" to the courts with "prove this is a fake". For instance, in the UK, an off brand clone of Hendricks Gin has been sued for trademark infringement and this article gives a good breakdown of the legal issues[0]. Examples of the different designs here[1]. Its not a given that Apse is infringing, or that Red Hat would sue over it. But given how much easier it is to change these things when the project is young, I'd suggest the author change the logo. Apart from anything else, the similarity to Ansible works against Apse's own notability. [0] https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=dcae4558-12e3-472c-b0de-38e6124122f6 https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=dcae4558-12e3... [1] https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/2048/cpsprodpb/1580C/production/_118667088_3d88b88a-a1fb-49bd-ac26-547f3b7303e9.jpg https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/news/2048/cpsprodpb/1580C/productio...