[aprssig] APRS is a trademark, nothing more

[Ev Tupis]

Summary:
If you wish to market your product or service as "APRS-something", then you will need to get TAPR's permission (which may include paying some royalty for the privilege) or you can "just do it" and risk legal action if TAPR chose to enforce their rights.

Detail:

Once a Trademark is established, marketed, and well known, consumers come to expect a particular (and consistant) "experience" from that brand as identified by it's trademark.  No other company can legally use that trademark, color combination, logo as a "front" to market inferior "knock offs".

Bob (wisely, in my opinion) used that leverage to assure he could take legal action if someone used the trademark (like in an advertisement) without permission and/or in a way that that he perceived as diminishing the "experience" that people trusted.

It is just as important to know what a trademark is not.  So, read what ChatGPT delivered when asked "What is a the purpose of having a Trademark?" Nothing else is protected by registering a Trademark, not even the underlying protocol used.



A trademark is a way of identifying and protecting the source and quality of a product or service. It can be a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination of these things that distinguishes your goods or services from others in the market. The purpose of a trademark is to prevent confusion and unfair competition among consumers and businesses. By registering your trademark, you can gain exclusive rights to use it and prevent others from using a similar or identical mark for related goods or services. A trademark also helps you build your brand reputation and loyalty among your customers. Trademarks are important for both consumers and businesses because they:
   
   - Help consumers find the products or services they want and trust
   - Protect consumers from being misled or deceived by counterfeit or inferior products or services
   - Encourage businesses to maintain and improve the quality and consistency of their products or services
   - Promote innovation and creativity among businesses by rewarding them for their distinctive marks


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