# Trademark & Licensing

Cargo Kids Books is a publishing imprint of **Cargo Kids LLC**. Cargo Kids LLC owns all right, title, and interest in the Cargo Crew characters, their names, likenesses, designs, artwork, story text, and associated catchphrases — starting with Chuck the Container.

## What’s protected

- **Cargo Kids Books™** — the publishing brand and wordmark.
- **Chuck the Container™** — the character name, likeness, and model-sheet design.
- *Chuck the Container: The Little Box That Changed the World* — the story text and artwork, © Cargo Kids LLC. All rights reserved.
- “Big or small, near or far — I can carry them all!” — Chuck’s shout-along refrain.
- **Cargo Crew™** — the character collection name.

These are unregistered (common-law) trademarks of Cargo Kids LLC in the United States. No federal registration is claimed or implied. Cargo Kids LLC reserves the right to pursue registration and to enforce these rights regardless of registration status.

## Four categories of use

1. **Editorial & fair use** (no license needed) — linking to our pages, quoting short excerpts for review or commentary, news coverage referencing Chuck the Container by name.
2. **Educational & nonprofit use** (free, with conditions) — reading Chuck the Container aloud in a classroom, library, or storytime, or using the story in nonprofit early-literacy programs. Keep the story and art unedited and credit Cargo Kids Books. Not for resale.
3. **Fan art & fan content** (permitted, with guidelines) — non-commercial fan art, school projects, and personal social posts. Don’t sell it, don’t imply Cargo Kids Books made or endorsed it, and don’t alter the character in ways that conflict with a children’s brand.
4. **Commercial & merchandise** (written license required) — selling products, apparel, toys, print-on-demand items, publishing translations or adaptations, advertising use, or any revenue-generating use. Requires a signed license agreement with Cargo Kids LLC before you produce or sell anything.

Most everyday uses fall into one of these four categories. A few uses are never available through any category — see “Rules that apply no matter which category you’re in” below. If you’re not sure which category applies, contact us before you publish or sell anything.

## A few real examples

- **No license needed** — A parenting blogger reviews Chuck the Container, quotes a short excerpt, and links back to this site.
- **Free, with conditions** — A preschool teacher reads Chuck aloud at story time and posts printed pages, unedited and credited, on a classroom bulletin board.
- **Permitted, with guidelines** — A student draws their own version of Chuck for a school art project and shares it on a personal, non-commercial social account.
- **Written license required** — A boutique wants to stock Chuck the Container plush toys and tote bags for sale in their shop.

## Rules that apply no matter which category you’re in

These sit outside the four categories above. Two of them (marked) can only be authorized by a separate, specific written agreement covering that exact use — never as part of a standard license category. The rest aren’t available at any license tier.

- Implying Cargo Kids Books or Cargo Kids LLC endorses a product, business, candidate, or cause — requires its own signed agreement, separate from any product license.
- Registering “Chuck the Container,” “Cargo Crew,” “Cargo Kids Books,” or confusingly similar names as a trademark, domain, or account handle. No exceptions.
- Using Chuck the Container’s name, likeness, or artwork to train, fine-tune, or prompt an AI model, or as an input to generate new character art — requires its own signed agreement, separate from any product license.
- Depicting Chuck the Container in violent, sexual, hateful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate content. No exceptions.
- Combining the character with third-party brands, logos, or IP without written permission from every rights holder involved, including Cargo Kids LLC.

## Chuck the Container — first licensable character

Chuck is the flagship Cargo Crew character: a small, steady blue steel container with a big idea. Licensable assets include:

- The name “Chuck the Container” and the title *Chuck the Container: The Little Box That Changed the World*.
- Chuck’s character design, model sheet, and approved color and proportion guide.
- Story artwork and spreads from the published read-aloud.
- Chuck’s shout-along refrain.

Pallet Pete, Gwen the Gantry Crane, and Frankie the Forwarder appear alongside Chuck in the story artwork and are covered by this same ownership notice and license process as part of that story. They are not yet published here as standalone licensable characters — that will follow the same “more characters, more terms” process as Connie Compliance.

## Media & brand kit

Download Chuck’s starter kit: his official model sheet, a sample merchandise mockup, story hero art, and the Cargo Kids Books logo mark. [Download the media kit (.zip)](downloads/Chuck_the_Container_Media_Kit.zip)

This kit is for reference, internal license evaluation, and editorial or press coverage — unedited and credited to Cargo Kids Books, per the editorial & fair use category above. Selling, publishing outside editorial coverage, or any other commercial or public-facing use still requires a signed license.

## Licensing FAQ

**Can I sell Chuck the Container merchandise?**
Yes, with a signed commercial license. Email [info@cargokidsbooks.com](mailto:info@cargokidsbooks.com) with your product idea to start the process.

**Can I read or print Chuck’s story for my classroom or library?**
Yes, free, under educational & nonprofit use. Keep the story and art unedited and credit Cargo Kids Books; it’s not for resale.

**Can I post fan art of Chuck?**
Yes, non-commercial fan art is welcome. Don’t sell it, don’t imply Cargo Kids Books made or endorsed it, and don’t alter the character in ways that conflict with a children’s brand.

**Can I use Chuck’s name or art to train or prompt an AI model?**
No, not through any of the categories above. It requires its own separate signed agreement covering that specific use.

**Is “Chuck the Container” a registered trademark?**
It’s an unregistered (common-law) trademark of Cargo Kids LLC in the United States. No federal registration is claimed or implied.

**How long does a license request take to review?**
We review every request personally rather than on a fixed schedule. Email us the details in the steps below and we’ll follow up.

## How to request a license

1. Email [info@cargokidsbooks.com](mailto:info@cargokidsbooks.com) with the character(s) you want to use, the product or project, where it will be sold or shown, and your timeline.
2. We review your request against these guidelines and Chuck’s brand fit for a children’s audience.
3. If approved, we send a written license agreement covering scope, territory, duration, fees or royalties, quality-control approval rights, and termination terms. No use is authorized until that agreement is signed by both parties.

A license granted under this page is non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable, and does not include the right to sublicense. Cargo Kids LLC reserves final approval over any product or material bearing a Cargo Crew character. Nothing on this page is an offer to license on specific terms; specific fees, territory, duration, and other terms are set out only in a signed license agreement.

## More characters, more terms

Chuck the Container is the first character with published licensing terms. Connie Compliance and future Cargo Crew characters will get their own sections here as their terms are finalized.

## Availability

This page is published at [Cargo Kids Books](https://cargokidsbooks.com/licensing.html).