Rules to use the brand name "Dolibarr"
This page aims to present rules to use the trademark word "Dolibarr" (and "DoliStore") to promote your activities, products or services around Dolibarr ERP CRM, or to create a domaine name.
As an OpenSource project, you are free to use or build a business with or around Dolibarr. However, in order to protect the ecosystem of the Dolibarr Open Source project, the Association Dolibarr has registered the trademark "Dolibarr" internationally (In all countries of the Madrid system, but also individually in other countries outside the Madrid agreements).
The objectives of this trademark owning are the following:
- Avoid any cyber-squatting of service or domain name (used by hackers to make phishing).
- Avoid any purchase, by a competing fund of the project, which would be carried out with the aim of forcing the project to change its name through FUD practices [1].
- Avoid actors in the ecosystem to give the illusion that their personal service is the official service of the project (unfair competition with respect to other actors).
- Reassure the actors who invest time or money in the project about the durability of the name.
- Offer to Dolibarr actors (who sell applications, training or services around Dolibarr) the guarantee to be able to use the brand in any peace of mind, without any step, by benefiting from an official public authorization (See next point).
The international and european trademark Dolibarr
International trademark
Link to the original filing form at WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization): https://branddb.wipo.int/en/brand/WO500000001216493
Link to the INPI international trademark filing: https://data.inpi.fr/marques/WO1216493?q=#WO1216493 (if link became broken, search using the form on same site)
European and UK trademark
Link to the European registration at EUIPO: https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#basic/1+1+1+1/100+100+100+100/dolibarr
Link to the European brand of the INPI: https://data.inpi.fr/marques/EM012975611?q=#EM012975611 (if link became broken, search using the form on same site)
Lnk to the UK trademark record: https://www.tmdn.org/tmview/#/tmview/detail/GB500000912975611
French trademark
Link to the french trademark record of the INPI: https://bases-marques.inpi.fr/Typo3_INPI_Marques/marques_fiche_resultats.html?index=3&refId=3900443_201734_fmark&y=0 (if link became broken, search using the form on same site)
The rights for the deposits (Europe EUIPO, Africa OAPI, World WIPO) have been transferred to the Association Dolibarr by the original rights holder since November 2014.
Public authorization on the word "Dolibarr"
In order to allow everyone to be part of the Dolibarr ecosystem, without administrative burden, the Dolibarr association allows the use of name "Dolibarr" to promote its activity, its products, its services or for its domain name, including in the context of commercial use, provided that these few restrictions are followed (they are imposed in the interest of all in order to make clear and transparent the ecosystem of the project):
For products or services (module name, smart phone application, SAAS services, or user groups...)
The main name of the service(s) or application(s) or user group name on social networks must not be "Dolibarr" alone, nor composed of n words if one of them is "Dolibarr". So the following names (as main name of service or product) are not allowed: "Dolibarr ABC", "Dolibarr App", "Dolibarr Service", "Dolibarr Application", "Dolibarr Store", ...
If the word "Dolibarr" is followed or preceded by a preposition or a pronoun ("in", "for", "with", "my", "like", ...), or with the mention "(non official)", the origin of the service or product becomes clearer and will be perfectly accepted. So the following names (as the main name of the service or product) are welcome: "Application for Dolibarr", "Help service with Dolibarr", "MyDolibarr", "Dolibarr user group (non official)" ...- If the word "Dolibarr" is taken only partially and it is completed with other syllables in same word, the name is also welcome. Here are some examples existing quite legitimate: "DoliDroid", "DoliSale", "MyDoli", "DoliCloud", "DoliSaas", "DoliOnDemand", "DoliAsso", ...
- Even if the name of the product or service follows the above rules, it must not prejudice the project by using illegal or immoral practices.
All previous rules apply as well with the word "Dolibarr" (or "DoliStore") as with the word "Dolibarr" (or "DoliStore") that would have double letters (2 o, 2 b, ...) or 1 letter modified or deleted (deletion of i, 1 only r, ...). The use of such a word is not allowed because too close to the word letting think it is the official project (but with a typo). In general, the laws of almost all countries in the world protect the mark from this kind of manipulation.
For a domain name
- The domain name (without the domain name extension) must not be "Dolibarr" alone, nor composed of 2 words, one of them would be "Dolibarr". So the following names are not allowed: "dolibarr.ext", "www.dolibarr.co", "dolibarr-app.com", "application-dolibarr.org". Remark: Domain names composed only of the word Dolibarr and then an extension exist (and therefore do not respect this rule), but they have generally been acquired by the Dolibarr association itself to avoid cyber-squatting or have been explicitly authorized on a case by case basis by the Dolibarr association, owner of the trademark.
- If the word "Dolibarr" is followed or preceded by a preposition or a pronoun ("in", "for", "with", "my", "like", ...), the name will be perfectly accepted. Thus the following names are welcome: "application-for-dolibarr.com", "help-with-dolibarr.uk", "my-dolibarr.co", ....
- If the word "Dolibarr" is taken only partially and it is completed with other syllables, the name is also welcome. Here are some examples existing quite legitimate: "dolicloud.com", "doliplus.com", ...
- Even if the domain name follows the previous rules, it must not host a site or service that harms the project by using illegal or immoral practices.
All previous rules apply as well with the word "Dolibarr" as with the word "Dolibarr" that would have doubled letters (2 o, 3 b, ...) or 1 letter deleted (deletion of i, only 1 r, ...). The use of such a word is not allowed because too close to the word suggesting that it is the official project (but with a typo change). In general, the laws of almost all countries in the world protect the mark from this kind of manipulation.
Note: the most influential and popular actors of the Dolibarr ecosystem become the most popular because their brand is clearly displayed as an "actor" or "partner" of Dolibarr but with a visual identity and a name of their own. Thus the actors who get the most out of the game are those who do not use the word "Dolibarr" at all, neither in their domain name, nor in the name of their brand or company. This is no coincidence. Stand out to be visible and not be assimilated by search engines to a copy!