Its easy enough, it costs Australian $120.00 to apply and $300.00 once accepted to keep it for 10 years, then you can renew it. But this is only an Australian Trademark, you have to apply in every country that you want protection within. Also those fees assume that you are only applying for a trademark in one category (e.g. software) so you are only protected from someone using it within the context of that category. So in our case someone else could make FreeCAD clothes or something and it may not be considered as clashing with our software only trademark.
Also you have to be a legal entity. For example I could personally trademark "FreeCAD" but FreeCAD could not because there is no FreeCAD legal entity.
Another possible complication is that you have to actually use a trademark, you can not just sit on one, if you don't us it for 3 years then another entity can appeal to takeover your trademark.
https://www.business.gov.au/info/run/pr ... rade-marks
note that a business name and trademark are different things see
https://www.business.gov.au/Info/Run/Pr ... ness-Names
What? Are you suggesting I could threaten to do to someone who is trying to steal FreeCAD what a kangaroo just did to my wife's car? Or what my wife's car did to the roo!
It jumped out in front of her on the highway in a 100km/hr zone. At least the stupid thing wont do it again since, unlike the car, it is dead. They are so stupid that you loose sympathy for them quickly when you have to live with the stupid things. That is the 4th roo to bounce off one of our cars/truck in just the last 2 years or so. Something with less brain than a sheep that can do about 60km/hr is a dangerous combination! .....but of course they are cute!