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Trademark Policy — TigerTag, TigerScale & Tiger Studio

TL;DR

  • ✅ You can make and sell hardware based on this design, freely and commercially.
  • ✅ You can call your product "TigerScale" if it runs the official firmware unmodified.
  • ✅ You can fork the firmware and build something different — just use a different product name.
  • ❌ You cannot use the TigerTag name for a competing RFID protocol or cloud service.
  • ❌ You cannot name a fork or derivative app "Tiger Studio" without authorization.
  • ❌ You cannot claim official TigerTag certification without authorization.

The TigerTag name

"TigerTag" is a trademark of the TigerTag Project.

TigerTag refers to the RFID spool-tracking protocol and the cloud service (tigertag.io) that synchronizes filament inventory across devices.

You may reference "TigerTag" in a factual, descriptive way (e.g. "compatible with TigerTag", "works with the TigerTag cloud") without permission.

You may not use "TigerTag" as the name of a competing RFID protocol, cloud service, or product brand without explicit written authorization.

The TigerScale name

"TigerScale" identifies the official open-source smart scale design published at github.com/TigerTag-Project/Tiger-Scale.

You MAY call your product "TigerScale" if

  1. It is based on the hardware design published in this repository.
  2. It runs the official firmware from this repository, unmodified or with only changes that have been contributed back and merged into the main branch.
  3. The firmware self-identifies with the official version string (e.g. fw_version: "2.0.0"), not a custom fork string.

In other words: if you build and sell hardware running the official firmware, you are making an official TigerScale and may use the name freely.

You MAY NOT call your product "TigerScale" if

  • It runs a modified, forked, or custom firmware that diverges from the main branch.
  • It does not implement the TigerTag RFID protocol as specified.
  • It uses the TigerScale or TigerTag name to imply official endorsement without authorization.

If you fork the firmware for a different product, please use a different name. We encourage forks — just make them clearly distinct from the official TigerScale.

Commercial manufacturing — what you need to know

There is no license fee, no royalty, and no registration required to manufacture and sell TigerScale hardware.

To produce compliant TigerScale units:

  1. Build the hardware — follow the BOM and wiring diagram in hardware/BOM.md and docs/HARDWARE.md.
  2. Flash the latest official firmware — always use the most recent release from this repository. The Web Installer at tigertag-project.github.io/Tiger-Scale always serves the latest official build.
  3. Do not modify core identification strings — TIGERSCALE_FW_VERSION, TIGERSCALE_GIT_SHA, and the mDNS hostname pattern tigerscale-XXXX must remain intact so the device is recognized by TigerTag apps.

That's it. No paperwork, no approval process.

Why these rules exist

TigerScale is free and open-source. We want as many people as possible to build, use, and sell it.

The trademark policy exists for one reason: user trust.

If someone buys a "TigerScale" that runs unofficial firmware, it may not connect to the TigerTag cloud, may have inaccurate weighing, or may behave unexpectedly. The trademark ensures that the name "TigerScale" means something consistent — a device that just works with the TigerTag ecosystem.

Tiger Studio

"Tiger Studio" is also a protected trademark of the TigerTag Project. Forks are welcome under the MIT License but must use a distinct name. Forks may display "Powered by Tiger Studio" / "Built on Tiger Studio" as attribution.

See the Tiger Studio trademark policy for the full forking and attribution guidelines.

Questions

Open an issue or reach us on Discord. For trademark authorization requests: contact via tigertag.io.