# TrustCarry trademark and attribution policy

Effective: 2026-08-01

**TrustCarry™**, **TrustCarry™ Protocol**, and **TrustCarry Protocol™** identify the protocol, reference implementation, conformance system, and related services stewarded by Wulf A. Kaal. **Persona Protocol v0.3** is the historical title and compatibility alias.

The `™` symbol states a claim of trademark rights; it is not a representation of federal registration. Do not use the `®` symbol unless a registration covering the relevant use has issued.

## Permitted use

You may:

- make truthful, non-misleading references to TrustCarry Protocol;
- state that unmodified software implements a specified TrustCarry version when it passes the published conformance suite for that version;
- retain historical identifiers and compatibility paths required for interoperability; and
- reproduce record prose under its stated CC BY 4.0 license and software under its stated Apache 2.0 license.

## Uses requiring written permission

Written permission from the protocol steward is required to:

- name a modified or forked protocol, product, service, package, registry entry, organization, or domain `TrustCarry` or a confusingly similar name;
- imply sponsorship, endorsement, certification, official status, or affiliation;
- use a TrustCarry logo or conformance badge;
- describe an implementation as `TrustCarry Certified`; or
- sublicense or register any TrustCarry mark.

## Forks and compatibility statements

Forks may describe their origin factually, for example: “Derived from the TrustCarry Protocol v0.3 reference implementation; not affiliated with or endorsed by the TrustCarry protocol steward.” A fork must use a distinct project and package name.

“TrustCarry-compatible” means only that the implementation claims compatibility with a stated version. It does not mean official, certified, secure, production-ready, or independently validated.

## License boundary

The CC BY 4.0 and Apache 2.0 grants do not grant permission to use the TrustCarry marks to identify modified goods or services or to imply sponsorship. Apache License 2.0 section 6 independently excludes trademark rights except for reasonable customary use describing origin and reproducing NOTICE content.

## Steward and contact

Protocol author and trademark claimant: **Wulf A. Kaal**

Commercial release authority: **Kaal Consulting LLC**
Contact: `wulf@wulfkaal.com`

The legal ownership structure for any federal application must be confirmed before filing; this policy does not itself assign the marks between Wulf A. Kaal and Kaal Consulting LLC.