Todd, it is unlikely you can trademark BitcoinATM. BitcoinATM is a descriptive term and probably cannot be trademarked. The only thing you own is the domain name. Google "Trademark Act Section 2(e)(1), 15 U.S.C. §1052(e)(1); see TMEP §§1209.01(b), 1209.03 et" for more info.
There is no trademark on the words "BitcoinATM" nor is there likely to be one filed by me (but that is not necessarily a good thing). During investor negotiations Dustin Trammell requested that one be filed. It was never done partly because of timing and because you are correct, it is a generic descriptive term. Also I believe in giving 'value for value'.
I named the repository BitcoinATM knowing full well that I was encouraging it's use, thus making it only a little more difficult for any future trademark or patent squatters to 'extract rent'. Such as the likes of Michael Pascazi filing then retracting a tradmark on 'Bitcoin'.
Additionally, to avoid this possibility, I propose that this Github repository(s),
BitcoinATM defined as '
Bitcoin Automated Transaction Mechanisms'. This would encourage the code to go in all sorts of interesting directions for physical and virtual devices large and small.
One more thought on forking; this open source effort is essentially, seriously forked already. There are two repositories supporting the same hardware with very different approaches both having valid technical and security arguments.
Jim Nguyen created the C++ version. Senior Software Engineer at
http://www.defenseweb.com,
http://www.bitcoinblogger.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/jimcnguyenEmail:
jimmy.winn@gmail.comCell: 1-619-602-7588
Eric Lombrozo created the PHP version (
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/eric-lombrozo/37/2b/a79)
Email:
elombrozo@gmail.comCell: 1-858-735-0270
Todd Bethell, CFM, MBA
toddbethell
Life stream at: http://bambuser.com/channel/toddbethell sometimes at
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/toddbethell Blog: www.BitcoinFever.com Web sites: www.FASTscanning.com www.BitcoinATM.com www.FASTbitcoins.com Social: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/todd-bethell/8/6ba/216 http://www.facebook.com/toddbethell https://twitter.com/#!/toddbethell Contact: tbethell08@merage.uci.edu toddbethell@fastscanning.com FAST Scanning 1-949-340-5438
Cell and sms 1-949-394-5932 Google voice 1-347-286-8170