Hi @herlaar, thank you for your replies.
If you’re ready to spend money on ads, then €230/month for a Gold Membership is not an unreasonable ask.
and
For businesses that profit from TYPO3, contributing to its sustainability should be considered an essential investment, not an optional expense.
Honestly, in the last 15 years, I’ve contributed countless hours to the TYPO3 project in multiple teams/committees, on code contributions, on organizing events and on giving talks and workshops. If you convert this work time into money (with my hourly rates at that time), I think that should be enough to last a lifetime without also being asked to contribute money on top of that.
So at least in my case, I think a Gold membership for being able to have ads is indeed unreasonable to ask.
In addition to that, I left the TYPO3 Association last year as I didn’t feel safe in the Association anymore after what happened last year. The reasons for this have not changed, and hence becoming an Association member again (Gold or otherwise) currently is not an option for me.
[social media handles with “typo3” in it]
As for coordination with TYPO3 teams and committees - yes, we have considered this. Official TYPO3 project teams, working groups, and recognized user groups that operate under the TYPO3 Association umbrella can request authorization to use handles that include TYPO3, as they represent the official project. However, this needs to be coordinated through the proper channels within the Association to ensure consistent branding.
I think if there are exceptions to these rules, they need to be stated in the rules as well. Otherwise, some people and companies are more equal than others, and someone in a person of power within the Association might use the not-always-applied rules to selectively punish or harm someone that they don’t like. (I’ve seen this happen.)
If you’re aware of specific teams having issues with this policy, please encourage them to contact the trademark team directly so we can address their concerns.
I was more thinking along the lines of “talking to the teams and committees first before passing rules that might negatively affect them” instead of expecting them to repair things after the fact.
Since 2017, TYPO3’s trademark rules have stated that any use of the TYPO3 name in paid advertising requires prior approval, regardless of membership level. That principle remains unchanged.
In the current version, I don’t see any mentioning of the possibility of using the brand as part of your domain, product name etc., and the wording makes it pretty clear that there are no exceptions:
What You Can’t Do — Even if You’re a Member of the TYPO3 Association
To protect the TYPO3 trademark, the following is not allowed for anyone (not even Gold or Platinum members):
Use “TYPO3” in your company name, product name, or domainExamples: TYPO3Experts.com, TYPO3 Cloud Hosting, TYPO3 Toolkit
This means that names like “TYPO3camp name-of-place” are not allowed either.
This looks really broken to me.