Copyright & Trademarks

All original content published on the EDC Website and every Foundation portal (text, photography, video, illustrations, layouts, code, program materials, event decks, curriculum, impact reports) is created by or on behalf of the Esprit de Corps Foundation and is protected as original work under U.S. copyright law from the moment of fixation. Third-party content is credited to its source.

The Foundation has not yet filed formal copyright registrations for its works. Registration may be sought over time as the organization matures. Until registration issues, we assert unregistered common-law rights and reserve the ability to seek registration in any of the works listed on Foundation surfaces.

You retain ownership of what you post to Foundation surfaces and grant the Foundation the license described in the Terms of Service. Media captured at Foundation events is governed by the participation and media release in those Terms.

The Foundation actively uses the following marks in commerce and intends to pursue federal (and, where appropriate, state) trademark registration. Until registration issues on any specific mark, we assert common-law trademark rights and reserve all rights.

Because registration has not yet issued, the Foundation identifies its marks with “™” (not “®”). Anyone referencing an EDC mark should do the same. See the Brand & Marks Use policy for the full list and use rules.

Filing strategy.The trademark push focuses on the full Foundation name (“Esprit de Corps Foundation”) and on each logo design as a distinct visual mark. The three-letter acronym “EDC” is not pursued as a standalone word mark because the acronym field is crowded (Economic Development Corporations, Education Development Center, Everyday Carry, Electric Daisy Carnival, and others) and the USPTO treats short acronyms as weak marks absent long-established distinctiveness. The letters “EDC” are still protected where they appear inside the Foundation’s logo designs.

The Foundation’s wordmark, seal / crest, logomark, reversed-color logo, and monochrome variants are protected marks in use. Reproduction, modification, recoloring, or combination with other marks is prohibited without written permission, even for supporters, volunteers, and Chapter officers. Logo files distributed for approved use remain the property of the Foundation. Full descriptions of each logo variant are in the Brand & Marks Use policy.

The Foundation does not claim rights in and does not display U.S. military service branch marks (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, Reserve), federal agency marks (DoD, VA, their sub-organizations), Illinois or municipal government seals beyond compliance use, or any partner organization’s marks. Those remain the property of their respective owners.

Send a written notice to legal@espritdcf.org (subject: DMCA Notice) containing: (1) identification of the copyrighted work, (2) identification of the material claimed to be infringing and its location on our surfaces, (3) your contact information, (4) a good-faith statement that use is not authorized, (5) a statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate and you are the owner or authorized agent, (6) your physical or electronic signature.

If you believe your content was removed in error, you may submit a counter-notice to legal@espritdcf.org with the same six elements adapted to a counter-notification.