Asking Matters™ Trademark Policy

We here at Asking Matters™ support and encourage ideas, services, and tools that use and supplement the Asking Matters services; however, we are also serious about protecting our reputation and brand identity. To help us achieve this goal, we have created these guidelines to help Asking Matters Members, Asking Matters Users, and others refer to us or our services without compromising the strength of our trademarks or our brand identity. In other words, these guidelines only concern the use of Asking Matters’ intellectual property (for example, the use of the term “Asking Matters”). For issues regarding any intellectual property which is not exclusively owned by Asking Matters, please refer to Asking Matters Copyright and Intellectual Property Policy.

Trademark Basics

A trademark is a word, name, symbol or device (or a combination thereof) that identifies the goods or services of a person or company and distinguishes them from the goods and services of others. The words “Asking Matters” and other Asking Matters graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, scripts, and service names (together, the “Asking Matters Marks”) are registered trademarks or trademarks of Asking Matters in the U.S. and/or other countries.

Why must Asking Matters Protect the Asking Matters Marks? Asking Matters must be able to assure Internet users and others that only the services offered, sponsored, or endorsed by Asking Matters actually bear the Asking Matters Marks. Trademark law requires that we not only protect against improper use of the Asking Matters Marks, but also protect against the use of confusingly similar marks.

Using the Asking Matters Marks

In order for you to help us protect the Asking Matters Marks, we ask the following:

DO:

1. Do make fair use of Asking Matters Marks. Asking Matters supports free speech and you do not need permission to make legitimate commentary about Asking Matters, the company, or Asking Matters’ services.
2. Do distinguish the Asking Matters Marks from surrounding text by, for example, capitalizing the first letter of the Asking Matters Marks.
3. Do spell the Asking Matters Marks properly.

DO NOT:

1. Do not say things about Asking Matters you know are not true.
2. Do not incorporate the Asking Matters Marks or a confusingly similar mark into, for example, the name of your business, organization, non-profit organization, event, or trademark.
3. Do not remove, alter, distort or modify the Asking Matters Marks, including adding other terms to the Asking Matters Marks to create new words.
4. Do not use the Asking Matters Marks or a confusingly similar mark in a way that falsely implies a relationship or affiliation with, sponsorship, or endorsement by Asking Matters, Inc. or that can be reasonably interpreted to suggest information comes from, or represents the views or opinions of Asking Matters or an Asking Matters employee.
5. Do not, without prior permission, use the Asking Matters Marks in a product.
6. Do not use any trademarks, service marks, trade dress, designs or logos that are confusingly similar to the Asking Matters Marks or the look and feel of the Asking Matters website.
7. Do not use the Asking Matters Marks in any way or on any website that contains or promotes adult content, gambling, or otherwise violates applicable law or regulation.
8. Do not use the Asking Matters Marks in a manner that is in Asking Matters’ sole opinion misleading, unfair, defamatory, infringing, libelous, disparaging, tarnishing, obscene or otherwise objectionable to Asking Matters.

Asking Matters reserves the right to alter these policies at any time.