Files
Frank Stellmacher 7f03a9536a docs: add NOTICE, TRADEMARK, and README forking guidance (#474)
* docs: add NOTICE and TRADEMARK files

Adds a NOTICE.md with the GPLv3 §7(b) attribution-preservation terms
that derivative works must carry forward, and a TRADEMARK.md that
covers the Psysonic name, logo, brand identity, and the names of
original Psysonic features (in particular Orbit) — none of which are
licensed under the GPLv3.

Forks remain free under GPLv3 to reuse the code, but must rename
Psysonic-branded assets and feature names, and must preserve the
attribution that original Psysonic features were designed and
implemented in this project.

* docs(readme): add Forks and Attribution section

Points readers at the GPLv3 freedoms while clarifying the expectations
for forks: keep the project name and feature names as documented in
TRADEMARK.md, preserve attribution as required by NOTICE.md, and do
not present original Psysonic work (such as Orbit) as independent
creations of a fork.
2026-05-06 10:17:28 +02:00

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Markdown

# Notice
Psysonic is licensed under the GNU GPLv3.
Psysonic, including features such as **Orbit** (synchronized shared
listening sessions), was originally designed and implemented by the
Psysonic project maintainers and contributors.
Forks and modified versions are welcome under the GPLv3, but they
must preserve copyright notices, license information, and clear
attribution to the original Psysonic project.
Modified versions must not imply that original Psysonic features were
independently created by the fork, nor imply endorsement by the
Psysonic project.
## Required Attribution for Derivative Works
The following attribution requirements apply to all derivative works
under the additional terms permitted by **GPLv3 §7(b)**. Forks and
redistributions must preserve these notices intact:
1. The unmodified contents of this `NOTICE.md` file must be retained
in the source tree of any fork or derivative work.
2. Derivative works that include or are based on the **Orbit**
feature — its design, protocol, or implementation — must clearly
state in their own documentation and release notes that the Orbit
feature was originally designed and implemented in Psysonic, and
must not present Orbit's design or implementation as independent
original work of the fork.
3. The user-facing name "Orbit" is a Psysonic feature mark and may
not be reused by forks; see `TRADEMARK.md`. The attribution
requirement in (2) applies regardless of what the feature is
renamed to in a fork.
4. The same applies to any other original Psysonic feature that a
fork chooses to retain.
These terms do not restrict the freedoms granted by the GPLv3; they
are attribution-preservation terms explicitly permitted by GPLv3
§7(b) and must be carried forward in further redistribution.