Draft of stronger cautionary language for forks of Tidepool's code

[tjotala]

This is in response to few recent cases where careless 3rd party developers ended up co-mingling their fork with Tidepool's products.

[darinkrauss]

Only one comment for your review.

[darinkrauss]

Contact us how? Do we want a specific email address? Perhaps something other than support?

[clintonium-119]

I agree that we should add an appropriate contact channel prior to merging. Not sure what email would be best suited for this, though.

[christopherasnider]

***@***.*** is an adequate catch-all, provided we know how to respond when an inquiry comes.

…

On Wed, Mar 4, 2026 at 4:24 PM Clint Beacock ***@***.***> wrote: ***@***.**** commented on this pull request. ------------------------------ In README.md <#347 (comment)> : > +> +> - **Clear separation is required.** Your forked or derived product must be clearly and unambiguously distinguishable from Tidepool's official software. You **must not** represent or imply through naming, branding, user interface design, or any other means that your product is developed, endorsed, maintained, or supported by Tidepool. +> +> - **No use of Tidepool trademarks.** You may not use the Tidepool name, logo, or any Tidepool trademarks in your derived work except as strictly required for attribution under the applicable open-source license. Any permitted attribution must not suggest affiliation with or endorsement by Tidepool. +> +> - **No connection to Tidepool services.** Unless explicitly authorized in writing by Tidepool, your derived work **must not** connect to, transmit data to, or otherwise interact with Tidepool's servers, APIs, or backend services. You are responsible for providing and maintaining your own infrastructure. +> +> - **Safety and regulatory responsibility is yours.** Tidepool's software is designed for use by people managing diabetes, a context in which software errors may have health consequences. **Tidepool's regulatory clearances and approvals apply solely to Tidepool's official products and do not transfer to, extend to, or cover any forked, modified, or derived works.** Your derived work is an entirely new and uncleared product from a regulatory standpoint. If you distribute a derived work, **you** assume full responsibility for obtaining any and all required regulatory approvals, and for ensuring its safety, accuracy, and fitness for purpose. Tidepool accepts no liability whatsoever for any harm arising from the use of third-party forks or derived works. +> +> - **Third-party service accounts are your responsibility.** Tidepool's software integrates with third-party tools and services such as Zendesk, Pendo, Rollbar, and others. Tidepool's accounts, API keys, and licenses for these services are for Tidepool's exclusive use and must not be used by any forked or derived work. You are responsible for establishing and maintaining your own independent accounts, subscriptions, and API credentials with any third-party vendors your derived work requires. +> +> - **License obligations still apply.** Forking this code does not release you from the obligations of the applicable open-source license(s). You must comply with all license terms, including notice, attribution, and copyleft requirements where applicable. +> +> Tidepool reserves the right to take appropriate action, including but not limited to legal action, to enforce its Terms of Use and protect its trademarks, users' safety, and reputation. +> +> If you have questions about what is or is not permitted, please contact us **before** distributing your derived work. I agree that we should add an appropriate contact channel prior to merging. Not sure what email would be best suited for this, though. — Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#347 (comment)>, or unsubscribe <https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/ACAJZXXUURHITLRX3WQ3XH34PCNHVAVCNFSM6AAAAACV5FHZBGVHI2DSMVQWIX3LMV43YUDVNRWFEZLROVSXG5CSMV3GSZLXHMZTQOJSGEYTENZYGU> . You are receiving this because your review was requested.Message ID: ***@***.***>

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[christopherasnider]

Hopefully this helps when we need to swing the hammer. LGTM.