---
title: "Board Decision: Membership Benefits: Brand / trademark usage in Ads (Social Media, Search Engines)"
manual: "TYPO3 Community infrastructure"
version: "main"
permalink: "https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/guide-policy:t3a-board-decision-2024-06-26-trademark-usage-in-ads"
source: "Association/Board/Decisions/2024/06-26-TrademarkUsageInAds.rst"
rendered: "2026-11-09T09:30:08+00:00"
---

# Board Decision: Membership Benefits: Brand / trademark usage in Ads (Social Media, Search Engines) {#t3a-board-decision-2024-06-26-trademark-usage-in-ads}

-   *Proposed at:* 26 June 2024
-   *Decision owner:* [Boris Hinzer](https://my.typo3.org/u/web-vision)
-   *Decision status:* ✅ Accepted, with **5 yes**

## Attendance and voting {#attendance-and-voting}

| Board Member | Attendance | Vote |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Olivier Dobberkau](https://my.typo3.org/u/oli4) |  |  |
| [Stefan Busemann](https://my.typo3.org/u/stefan.busemann) | In meeting | ✅ Yes |
| [Boris Hinzer](https://my.typo3.org/u/web-vision) | Remote | ✅ Yes |
| [Rachel Foucard](https://my.typo3.org/u/rakel) | Remote | ✅ Yes |
| [Susi Moog](https://my.typo3.org/u/psychomieze) |  |  |
| [Tymoteusz Motylewski](https://my.typo3.org/u/tmotylewski) | Remote | ✅ Yes |
| [Thomas Maroschik](https://my.typo3.org/u/tmaroschik) | Remote | ✅ Yes |

## Decision description {#decision-description}

### Facts/Problem {#facts-problem}

**General information:** To make our memberships more attractive, the decision owner would like to introduce real benefits for different membership levels.

**Proposed benefit:**

-   We will explicitly allow only members of a certain tier upwards to use the TYPO3 brand in online ads, such as Google Ads or any kind of social media ads.

**Proposed memberships:**

-   Agency: Silver, Gold, Platinum
-   Academic: Silver, Gold (but only for jobs)

**Additional:**

-   The **TYPO3 GmbH** also wants to have this for **Solution Partners** (and would cover their membership fees in case someone doesn't have one).
-   **We could** start collecting trademark infringements from others (via a form on our website with the most common search engines, social media platforms and screenshots) at some point. This would ease the work for Ric van Westreenen.

### Objective {#objective}

-   Making our memberships more interesting.
-   Free rider agencies will be forced to sign up for a membership of at least Silver level.
-   According to Ric van Westreenen, this would strengthen our trademark.

### Obligations to cooperate {#obligations-to-cooperate}

-   Ric van Westreenen, for monitoring the ad usages manually in the beginning.
-   Later on Google (and presumably others as well), which automatically refuse ads with trademark usage of "TYPO3".
-   Low tier memberships and "free riders".

### Financial and human resources impacts {#financial-and-human-resources-impacts}

-   Maybe slightly more reimbursement money for Ric van Westreenen, as he needs to file the complaints with Google, etc. first.
-   Ric van Westreenen already agreed to perform the tasks.

### Resolution/Petitum {#resolution-petitum}

-   Shall we allow the usage of our "TYPO3" trademark only for Agency members, starting at Silver level and above?
-   Shall we allow the usage of our "TYPO3" trademark only for Academic members, starting at Silver level and above (for job advertisements)?
-   Shall we allow the usage of our "TYPO3" trademark also for TYPO3 GmbH Solution Partners (given that the GmbH covers the Silver membership in case they are no member)?

### Discarded alternatives {#discarded-alternatives}

None

### Attachments {#attachments}

-   [Google Ads policy: Trademarks](https://support.google.com/adspolicy/answer/6118?hl=en)
-   [Google: Report a trademark issue](https://support.google.com/legal/troubleshooter/1114905)
-   [Facebook: Trademark reporting](https://www.facebook.com/help/440684869305015)
-   [X: Trademark reporting](https://help.x.com/en/forms/ipi/trademark)
-   [Instagram: Trademark reporting](https://help.instagram.com/222826637847963)

### Comments {#comments}

None