Introducing a New Zcash Trademark Coverage

Immediately, we’ve adopted a brand new trademark coverage for the Zcash emblems. You may learn the total coverage right here.

On this weblog submit, we spotlight among the vital modifications, and clarify why we consider this new method helps and allows larger decentralization of the Zcash ecosystem.

Background

For the previous 5 years, use of the Zcash emblems was ruled by an settlement between the Zcash Basis (ZF) and the Electrical Coin Firm (ECC). Following ECC’s choice to terminate that settlement, ZF turned the only real steward of the emblems. This offered a possibility to evaluate and replace the trademark coverage to replicate the rising decentralization of the Zcash ecosystem.

Our overarching goal in making these modifications is to permit members of the Zcash neighborhood to make use of the emblems as broadly and permissively as doable for functions which are pure and well-intentioned within the context of a decentralized cryptocurrency, whereas nonetheless defending the emblems (and thus, Zcash’s title, model and status) from misuse by those that search to mislead, deceive or defraud.

Key Adjustments

At a excessive stage, the modifications launched on this new trademark coverage are geared toward making it:

• Shorter and less complicated: The obvious change is that the brand new trademark coverage is shorter and less complicated. The outdated coverage was tailored from the Mannequin Trademark Tips, that are supposed for open supply software program tasks. By reviewing the coverage from the attitude of Zcash as a cryptocurrency, we had been in a position to make it shorter, less complicated, and subsequently simpler to know.

• Extra permissive: The brand new coverage can also be extra permissive. The outdated coverage was drafted in a approach that required that sure makes use of be explicitly licensed. Whereas we sought to make it so simple as doable to license the trademark, it nonetheless required paperwork, which discouraged some individuals and groups. 

• Minimized in scope: The brand new coverage seeks to reduce the scope of makes use of that should be explicitly licensed. For instance, the outdated coverage permitted the usage of the Zcash emblems on promotional items without cost giveaways however not on the market. This meant that anybody who needed to make and promote Zcash-branded merchandise was required to acquire a license from ZF. The brand new coverage removes this restriction, which means that anybody can now make and promote Zcash-branded merchandise, like stickers, t-shirts or mugs. 

Eliminating the Trademark’s Position in Zcash Governance

The trademark settlement created a governance position for the emblems by stipulating that community upgrades had been topic to approval by each ECC and ZF. If both get together objected to the activation of a community improve, the Zcash emblems may not be utilized to both fork of the blockchain.

The ZF Board believes that it’s not applicable to make use of the Zcash emblems on this approach. 

Zcash is a decentralized cryptocurrency, outlined by a documented protocol, and carried out as open supply software program (most notably zcashd and Zebra). The character of open supply software program signifies that anybody is free to repeat and modify that software program, together with making modifications to the best way the Zcash protocol is carried out. They could then invite others to run that software program. If this had been to happen with out broad consensus help throughout the Zcash neighborhood and ecosystem, it may end in a contentious arduous fork. 

Within the occasion of a persistent contentious arduous fork, with a purpose to forestall person confusion, the Zcash Basis might use the Zcash emblems to name for particular naming conventions at exchanges or different entities to obviously distinguish between the 2 tines of the fork. Nevertheless, the Zcash Basis will endeavor to not use the Zcash emblems as a way of persuading the bigger public that one tine of the fork or the opposite is the canonical and solely legit model of Zcash.

Conclusion

As Zcash and its ecosystem evolves and turn out to be extra decentralized, the buildings which have constructed as much as help Zcash should additionally evolve. The Zcash Basis is dedicated to making sure that it adapts to higher serve the Zcash mission and neighborhood. That dedication contains supporting ongoing decentralization of the Zcash ecosystem, and this new trademark coverage is a crucial step in that path. 

As all the time, we’re eager to listen to the neighborhood’s suggestions and strategies (each of which helped inform our decision-making on this coverage), so please have interaction on the Zcash Neighborhood boards.