From e6d03a37a35693d1dbc076d5dc1aba69a5f7d93b Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: lai95 Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:54:42 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 1/6] docs: add WordPress naming restrictions section --- availability.md | 11 +++++++++++ 1 file changed, 11 insertions(+) diff --git a/availability.md b/availability.md index a6c46d2..7db406f 100644 --- a/availability.md +++ b/availability.md @@ -128,6 +128,17 @@ For serious products, do a basic trademark search. You don't need a lawyer for i --- +### WordPress Naming Restrictions + +The WordPress Foundation enforces trademark rules that affect plugin and theme naming: + +**WordPress cannot be used** in commercial product names (plugin, theme, SaaS) +**WP is allowed** but discouraged — signals commodity, not premium +**"for WordPress" is acceptable** as a descriptor, not a name component +**Check:** WordPress Trademark Policy + +--- + ## Availability Decision Framework Not every platform needs to be available. Prioritize based on your product type: From 0ced7deee6b656376ac5a26defc0be03f49c1377 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: lai95 Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:05:28 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 2/6] docs: add WordPress trademark warning to descriptive names anti-pattern --- anti-patterns.md | 5 +++++ 1 file changed, 5 insertions(+) diff --git a/anti-patterns.md b/anti-patterns.md index b67e063..3bfa820 100644 --- a/anti-patterns.md +++ b/anti-patterns.md @@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ Framework adapted from professional naming agencies. If a name has any of these, Driven by fear of standing out. "WordPress Site Monitor" is a description, not a name. "Cloud-Based Team Collaboration Platform" is a sentence, not a brand. +> **Trademark reality check:** +> Using **"WordPress" inside a product name is not only generic — it can violate the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. +> Acceptable pattern: *"[Product Name] for WordPress"* (descriptor). +> Risky / disallowed pattern: *"WordPressBackup", "WordPressMonitor", "WPWordPressTool".* + **Why it happens:** Stakeholders feel safe with descriptions because they're immediately clear. But clarity without memorability is useless — people understand what the product does for 5 seconds, then forget its name forever. **The fix:** Use the description as your tagline, not your name. The name creates recall; the tagline creates clarity. From 4b1374d762b0ca7957bc26de6ef9e2d2b452a6f6 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: lai95 Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:19:41 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 3/6] docs: add WordPress trademark warning to descriptive names anti-pattern --- anti-patterns.md | 7 +++---- availability.md | 8 ++++---- 2 files changed, 7 insertions(+), 8 deletions(-) diff --git a/anti-patterns.md b/anti-patterns.md index 3bfa820..795af7a 100644 --- a/anti-patterns.md +++ b/anti-patterns.md @@ -33,10 +33,9 @@ Framework adapted from professional naming agencies. If a name has any of these, Driven by fear of standing out. "WordPress Site Monitor" is a description, not a name. "Cloud-Based Team Collaboration Platform" is a sentence, not a brand. -> **Trademark reality check:** -> Using **"WordPress" inside a product name is not only generic — it can violate the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. -> Acceptable pattern: *"[Product Name] for WordPress"* (descriptor). -> Risky / disallowed pattern: *"WordPressBackup", "WordPressMonitor", "WPWordPressTool".* + >**Trademark reality check:** Using **"WordPress"** inside a product name is not only generic — it can violate the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. + >**Acceptable pattern:** *"[Product Name] for WordPress"* (descriptor). + >**Risky / disallowed pattern:** *"WordPressBackup", "WordPressMonitor", "WPWordPressTool".* **Why it happens:** Stakeholders feel safe with descriptions because they're immediately clear. But clarity without memorability is useless — people understand what the product does for 5 seconds, then forget its name forever. diff --git a/availability.md b/availability.md index 7db406f..6220cfe 100644 --- a/availability.md +++ b/availability.md @@ -132,10 +132,10 @@ For serious products, do a basic trademark search. You don't need a lawyer for i The WordPress Foundation enforces trademark rules that affect plugin and theme naming: -**WordPress cannot be used** in commercial product names (plugin, theme, SaaS) -**WP is allowed** but discouraged — signals commodity, not premium -**"for WordPress" is acceptable** as a descriptor, not a name component -**Check:** WordPress Trademark Policy +- **WordPress cannot be used** in commercial product names (plugin, theme, SaaS) +- **WP is allowed** but discouraged — signals commodity, not premium +- **"for WordPress" is acceptable** as a descriptor, not a name component +- **Check:** WordPress Trademark Policy --- From 52d99f95027c97a557e380e10b5d065f857caa75 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: lai95 Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:22:48 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 4/6] docs: add WordPress trademark warning to descriptive names anti-pattern, fixes --- anti-patterns.md | 6 +++--- availability.md | 4 ++-- 2 files changed, 5 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-) diff --git a/anti-patterns.md b/anti-patterns.md index 795af7a..c195cec 100644 --- a/anti-patterns.md +++ b/anti-patterns.md @@ -33,9 +33,9 @@ Framework adapted from professional naming agencies. If a name has any of these, Driven by fear of standing out. "WordPress Site Monitor" is a description, not a name. "Cloud-Based Team Collaboration Platform" is a sentence, not a brand. - >**Trademark reality check:** Using **"WordPress"** inside a product name is not only generic — it can violate the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. - >**Acceptable pattern:** *"[Product Name] for WordPress"* (descriptor). - >**Risky / disallowed pattern:** *"WordPressBackup", "WordPressMonitor", "WPWordPressTool".* + **WordPress Trademark:** Using **"WordPress"** inside a product name is not only generic — it can violate the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. + - **Acceptable pattern:** *"[Product Name] for WordPress"* (descriptor). + - **Risky / disallowed pattern:** *"WordPressBackup", "WordPressMonitor", "WPWordPressTool".* **Why it happens:** Stakeholders feel safe with descriptions because they're immediately clear. But clarity without memorability is useless — people understand what the product does for 5 seconds, then forget its name forever. diff --git a/availability.md b/availability.md index 6220cfe..b33e955 100644 --- a/availability.md +++ b/availability.md @@ -132,8 +132,8 @@ For serious products, do a basic trademark search. You don't need a lawyer for i The WordPress Foundation enforces trademark rules that affect plugin and theme naming: -- **WordPress cannot be used** in commercial product names (plugin, theme, SaaS) -- **WP is allowed** but discouraged — signals commodity, not premium +- **"WordPress" cannot be used** in commercial product names (plugin, theme, SaaS) +- **"WP" is allowed** but discouraged — signals commodity, not premium - **"for WordPress" is acceptable** as a descriptor, not a name component - **Check:** WordPress Trademark Policy From 9d9a0328ac7fb720f8834c34fa09be7fa0f5968a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: lai95 Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:20:06 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 5/6] Fix: spaces in anti-patterns.md, also make WordPress trademark policy a hyperlink. --- anti-patterns.md | 6 +++--- availability.md | 2 +- 2 files changed, 4 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-) diff --git a/anti-patterns.md b/anti-patterns.md index c195cec..3f5f543 100644 --- a/anti-patterns.md +++ b/anti-patterns.md @@ -33,9 +33,9 @@ Framework adapted from professional naming agencies. If a name has any of these, Driven by fear of standing out. "WordPress Site Monitor" is a description, not a name. "Cloud-Based Team Collaboration Platform" is a sentence, not a brand. - **WordPress Trademark:** Using **"WordPress"** inside a product name is not only generic — it can violate the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. - - **Acceptable pattern:** *"[Product Name] for WordPress"* (descriptor). - - **Risky / disallowed pattern:** *"WordPressBackup", "WordPressMonitor", "WPWordPressTool".* + **WordPress Trademark:** Using **"WordPress"** inside a product name is not only generic -it can violate the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. +- **Acceptable pattern:** *"[Product Name] for WordPress"* (descriptor). +- **Risky / disallowed pattern:** *"WordPressBackup", "WordPressMonitor", "WPWordPressTool".* **Why it happens:** Stakeholders feel safe with descriptions because they're immediately clear. But clarity without memorability is useless — people understand what the product does for 5 seconds, then forget its name forever. diff --git a/availability.md b/availability.md index b33e955..c46bf74 100644 --- a/availability.md +++ b/availability.md @@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ The WordPress Foundation enforces trademark rules that affect plugin and theme n - **"WordPress" cannot be used** in commercial product names (plugin, theme, SaaS) - **"WP" is allowed** but discouraged — signals commodity, not premium - **"for WordPress" is acceptable** as a descriptor, not a name component -- **Check:** WordPress Trademark Policy +- **Check:** [WordPress Trademark Policy](https://wordpressfoundation.org/trademark-policy/) --- From d5c224477728098d1ccfc5dc53ce1a8cf223b897 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: lai95 Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2026 15:24:11 +0200 Subject: [PATCH 6/6] Fix: spaces, hyphen on lines 36-37 --- anti-patterns.md | 4 ++-- 1 file changed, 2 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/anti-patterns.md b/anti-patterns.md index 3f5f543..8d52f27 100644 --- a/anti-patterns.md +++ b/anti-patterns.md @@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ Framework adapted from professional naming agencies. If a name has any of these, Driven by fear of standing out. "WordPress Site Monitor" is a description, not a name. "Cloud-Based Team Collaboration Platform" is a sentence, not a brand. - **WordPress Trademark:** Using **"WordPress"** inside a product name is not only generic -it can violate the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. -- **Acceptable pattern:** *"[Product Name] for WordPress"* (descriptor). + **WordPress Trademark:** Using **"WordPress"** inside a product name is not only generic — it can violate the WordPress Foundation trademark policy. +- **Acceptable pattern:** *"[Product Name] for WordPress"* (descriptor). - **Risky / disallowed pattern:** *"WordPressBackup", "WordPressMonitor", "WPWordPressTool".* **Why it happens:** Stakeholders feel safe with descriptions because they're immediately clear. But clarity without memorability is useless — people understand what the product does for 5 seconds, then forget its name forever.