Name and intellectual property
The name§
Sanad stands for a document and the chain of support behind it, the chain by which knowledge is handed on. That is what the protocol records: a chain from a claim through evidence to independent attestors. The word is short, easy to pronounce in many languages, and not tied to any company or to any one language or culture.
Clearance status§
A first web search found no credential or education protocol called Sanad. Sanad is, however, a common word and a common name in the Gulf region, used by many businesses and services. Formal trademark clearance is pending: the official registers have not been searched, and the descriptor "Sanad Protocol" is expected to be needed. The trademark application will be filed by the steward himself; it has not been filed.
Plan§
| Asset | Plan | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Name "Sanad Protocol" (word mark), later the logo | Trademark, UAE first, then abroad within the 6-month priority period | prevents others from using the name for something else; allows a free conformance statement |
| Specification text, vectors, diagrams, logo | Copyright; dated deposit; open licence | proves authorship and date |
| Reference code | Copyright and Apache-2.0 | includes a patent grant |
| Inventions in the protocol | No patent. Open publication with a permanent archive and a royalty-free commitment | patents would contradict openness |
| Domain names, repositories, handles | Registered in the same holder as the trademark | brand assets |
| Signing and log keys | Not intellectual property: secrets held by custodians | see the governance charter |
Holder§
Until the Open Sanad Foundation exists, the steward holds these rights personally, in trust for the foundation, and intends to assign them to it on formation. They are separate from any other project or company.
Licences§
The specification text is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). It keeps the author's name on copies and lets anyone implement the protocol. Code is licensed under Apache-2.0. See Licence.
Using the name§
Anyone whose implementation passes the public vectors may say that it conforms to Sanad; see the intellectual property policy. Trademark symbols are not used on this site until a registration has been granted.