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MMA IP Policy (Short Form)
The following summarizes the MMA's rules regarding INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS in MIDI and other MMA Specifications.
1. MIDI and other specifications developed by MMA ("Specifications") are intended to be royalty and license free, to encourage interoperability and adoption.
2. All enhancements and extensions to Specifications (except those for non-commercial use) must be approved by MMA (and by AMEI, our standardization partner in Japan).
3. Contributors to Specification development implicitly warrant and represent to the MMA and its members and other participants that the Contributor has the right to contribute, and is contributing without cost or obligation, any intellectual or other property contributed or disclosed.
4. IP owners shall notify the MMA of any actual or potential infringement upon the owner's intellectual property rights that may arise. Failure to notify the MMA of such infringement constitutes a waiver of the owner's infringement claim against the MMA regarding the use of such intellectual property rights in the development of the Specification or in the Specification itself, against MMA members who participate in the development of the Specification for their participation in the development of the Specification, and against MMA members and non-members alike who use the Specification; and, it creates a license in the MMA and others to use such intellectual property rights, without royalty or other payment to the member, in the development, adoption, distribution, commercial exploitation and marketing of the Specification for the purposes for which the specification is developed.
5. IP Owners retain the right to use their property in any activity or manner that is unrelated to the Specification.
6. No MMA Member shall be obligated to maintain against another MMA Member or the MMA itself the secrecy or confidentiality of any information disclosed or revealed in the course of any MMA activity. Members are obligated to maintain the secrecy and confidentiality of such information against non-members. |
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MIDI Trademark Policy
The following describes the MMA's rules regarding Trademark Usage.
1. "MIDI" is an acronym for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, which refers to a series of Specifications maintained and published by MMA (and AMEI in Japan). Products, services, and technologies ("Products") based on the Specifications are known, as "MIDI Products", "MIDI Files", etc.
2. MMA has common law rights in the use of the term "MIDI" in conjunction with Specifications for the MIDI industry.
3. The term "MIDI" (whether alone or in conjunction with other terms or modifiers) may be used by other parties (a) in reference to Products that are compliant with an MMA Specification, or (b) in the name of a company that provides such Products. Such uses need not be approved in advance by MMA.
4. The use of the term "MIDI" in combination with other terms or words to identify Products which differ from those that are set forth in MMA Specifications is likely to lead people to assume that such Products are based on MMA Specifications. This dilutes the value of MMA Specifications (and Products based on those Specifications) and represents unfair competition, deceptive trade practice, and false advertising. Therefore such uses are not approved by MMA.
5. The treatment (font and design) of the term "MIDI" which appears in the MMA Logo (see web page header, above) and in logos licensed by MMA identifying products compliant with MMA's General MIDI Specification may not be used by any party without first obtaining a license from MMA. At this time no usage other than those mentioned above is licensed by MMA. |
