clarify trademark and license interaction (#21019)

TRADEMARK.md

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+# Trademark Policy
+
+**Last Updated:** November 2025
+
+This document outlines the policy regarding the use of the trademarks associated with the Frigate NVR project.
+
+## 1. Our Trademarks
+
+The following terms and visual assets are trademarks (the "Marks") of **Frigate LLC**:
+
+- **Frigate™**
+- **Frigate NVR™**
+- **Frigate+™**
+- **The Frigate Logo**
+
+**Note on Common Law Rights:**
+Frigate LLC asserts all common law rights in these Marks. The absence of a federal registration symbol (®) does not constitute a waiver of our intellectual property rights.
+
+## 2. Interaction with the MIT License
+
+The software in this repository is licensed under the [MIT License](LICENSE).
+
+**Crucial Distinction:**
+
+- The **Code** is free to use, modify, and distribute under the MIT terms.
+- The **Brand (Trademarks)** is **NOT** licensed under MIT.
+
+You may not use the Marks in any way that is not explicitly permitted by this policy or by written agreement with Frigate LLC.
+
+## 3. Acceptable Use
+
+You may use the Marks without prior written permission in the following specific contexts:
+
+- **Referential Use:** To truthfully refer to the software (e.g., _"I use Frigate NVR for my home security"_).
+- **Compatibility:** To indicate that your product or project works with the software (e.g., _"MyPlugin for Frigate NVR"_ or _"Compatible with Frigate"_).
+- **Commentary:** In news articles, blog posts, or tutorials discussing the software.
+
+## 4. Prohibited Use
+
+You may **NOT** use the Marks in the following ways:
+
+- **Commercial Products:** You may not use "Frigate" in the name of a commercial product, service, or app (e.g., selling an app named _"Frigate Viewer"_ is prohibited).
+- **Implying Affiliation:** You may not use the Marks in a way that suggests your project is official, sponsored by, or endorsed by Frigate LLC.
+- **Confusing Forks:** If you fork this repository to create a derivative work, you **must** remove the Frigate logo and rename your project to avoid user confusion. You cannot distribute a modified version of the software under the name "Frigate".
+- **Domain Names:** You may not register domain names containing "Frigate" that are likely to confuse users (e.g., `frigate-official-support.com`).
+
+## 5. The Logo
+
+The Frigate logo (the bird icon) is a visual trademark.
+
+- You generally **cannot** use the logo on your own website or product packaging without permission.
+- If you are building a dashboard or integration that interfaces with Frigate, you may use the logo only to represent the Frigate node/service, provided it does not imply you _are_ Frigate.
+
+## 6. Questions & Permissions
+
+If you are unsure if your intended use violates this policy, or if you wish to request a specific license to use the Marks (e.g., for a partnership), please contact us at:
+
+**help@frigate.video**