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| Brand and Trademark Usage Guidelines | article |
The Go trademark and the Go Logo (
) – collectively, the “Go Trademarks” –
are trademarks of Google and are treated separately from the copyright license
grants contained in the BSD-licensed Go repositories,
as described below.
The Go Gopher mascot was created by Renee French and is licensed under the Creative Commons 4.0 Attribution License.
Trademark Guidelines
Any use of the Go Trademarks other than those permitted in these guidelines must be approved in advance.
In general, we want the word mark “Go” and the Go Logo to be used freely to refer to the Go programming language.
We do not want these trademarks to be used:
- to refer to any other programming language.
- in a way that is misleading or may imply association of unrelated projects, companies, software, documentation, or other resources with the Go programming language project.
- in ways that confuse the community as to whether the Go programming language is open source and free to use.
These guidelines exist to ensure that the Go programming language can continue to share its releases under open source licenses while making sure that the Go Trademarks are protected as meaningful source identifiers in a way that’s consistent with trademark law.
Use of the Go Trademarks
No Authorization Needed
Nominative Fair Use
In order to accurately identify the Go programming language or any compatible applications, it may be necessary to refer to the language by name (“nominative fair use”). These are the basic rules for nominative fair use of the Go Trademarks:
- Only use the Go trademark in word mark form, i.e., plain text. Do not use the Go Logo or Go as a stylized form without permission.
- Only use the Go trademark as much as is necessary. Use should be limited to matter-of-fact statements.
- Do not use the Go trademark in any way that suggests or implies affiliation with or endorsement from the community or from Google.
Nominative or descriptive uses in fair use may arise in an educational context or in books or blogs about the Go programming language and any derivative works.
Authorized Software Uses of the Go Trademarks
Unmodified forks
The Go Trademarks can generally be retained in unaltered versions of the Go open source programming language (that is, an unmodified fork). This use must follow the “Naming Conventions for Authorized Uses” and may not inaccurately suggest affiliation or endorsement or mislead as to the source.
Substantially unmodified distributions
Substantially unmodified distributions may use the Go Trademarks if the derivative work complies with the terms of the Go programming language’s open source license and is made in a good faith attempt to replicate the quality and substance of the original project.
Examples of modifications that would be considered substantially unmodified include language translation and localization, bug and security patches, and necessary interoperability/compatibility modifications.
The Go Trademarks may be used in connection with such substantially unmodified distributions following the “Naming Conventions for Authorized Uses”.
Software Uses Requiring Review and Approval for Authorization
Substantially modified distributions
Substantially modified distributions require review and approval from trademark@golang.org before the Go Trademarks can be used.
Substantially modified distributions may include explicit changes to functionality, interfaces, or features.
If the substantially modified distribution is approved, the Go Trademarks may be used in connection with such substantially unmodified distributions following the “Naming Conventions for Authorized Uses”.
Unauthorized Software Uses of the Go Trademarks
Disparaging modifications
Modifications that disparage the Go programming language or its reputation without qualifying as fair use, such as the introduction of malicious code, are not compatible with use of the Go Trademarks.
Authorized Non-software Uses of the Go Trademarks
Use for events and community groups
The Go word mark may be used referentially in events, community groups, or other gatherings related to the programming language, but it may not be used in a manner that implies official status or endorsement.
The Go Logo may not be used with events, community groups, or other gatherings related to the programming language without permission.
Events and community groups must follow the “Naming Conventions for Authorized Uses”.
Events and community groups may be subject to the Go programming language’s Code of Conduct, and violations of the Code of Conduct may be deemed incompatible with use of the Go Trademarks.
Swag
The Go Trademarks may be used to produce swag such as t-shirts, pens, stickers, or hats for both commercial and non-commercial purposes in accordance with the “Naming Conventions for Authorized Uses” and “Use of the Go Logo”.
Swag should never be advertised as “official” swag or swag endorsed for use or purchase by the Go programming language project.
There are no other restrictions on generating revenue through swag that use the Go Trademarks. However, we encourage sellers to consider the ethos of the open source movement in this decision. Sellers must truthfully advertise to consumers how much of the selling price, if any, will be donated to open source or community efforts.
Unauthorized Non-software Uses of the Go Trademarks
Use in domain names and social media accounts
The Go Trademarks should not be used, in whole or part, as or within any domain names and social media account names or handles in a manner that implies official status or endorsement.
Use in a Company Name, Trade Name, Product Name or Feature Name
The Go Trademarks may not be used as or combined with all or part of a company name, trade name, product name, or feature name in a manner that implies official status or endorsement.
Naming Conventions for Authorized Uses
Once a particular use falls within an Authorized Use category as outlined in “Use of the Go Trademarks”, the Go Trademarks can be used subject to the following Naming Conventions. These Naming Conventions seek to avoid implying sponsorship, approval, or endorsement, which may result in confusion as to the source of the underlying goods or services.
Authorized Naming Conventions
- [New Name/Company] managed Go
- [New Name], a fork of Go
- [New Name and/or description of interaction] for Go
Unauthorized Naming Conventions
Naming Conventions that disparage the Go programming language, if not permitted as fair use, are unauthorized. For example, the following are unauthorized Naming Conventions:
- Improved Go
- The Better Go
- Any Naming Convention violating the Go programming language’s Code of Conduct, such as use of non-inclusive language.
- Any Naming Convention modifying or altering the Go Trademarks in a misleading manner.
Naming Conventions Requiring Review and Approval for Authorization
Any Naming Convention not following the “Authorized Naming Conventions” or “Unauthorized Naming Conventions” require review for approval from trademark@golang.org.
Use of the Go Logo
In addition to the applicable rules outlined above applying to the Go word mark,
the following rules apply to the use of the Go Logo ().
The Go Logo may never be used in a way:
- to disparage the Go programming language or its reputation; or
- that violates the Go programming language’s code of conduct.
The Go Logo may not be used in the following manners without review and approval:
- used as or incorporated in the logo for a commercial product;
- modified in any form; or
- used in close proximity to, within, or encompassing another logo, badge, or stylized trademark.
Please use the provided brand assets and further guidance for the Go Logo and the Gopher mascot as outlined in “Go's New Brand”.
Authorization Non-Transferrable
Authorization to use the Go Trademarks cannot be inherited through project dependencies; every use of the Go Trademarks must comply with the applicable guidelines or have explicit prior written permission.
Authorized Users under these Guidelines may not authorize any third-party use and may not transfer or sublicense any of the user’s authorizations or permissions to use the Go Trademarks.
Go Trademarks Enforcement
Authorized users under these Guidelines may not enforce the Go Trademarks but should notify trademark@golang.org of any suspected, alleged, or actual misuse, misappropriation, infringement, or other violation of the Go Trademarks.
Guideline Version
These Trademark Guidelines are version 1.0 and may be followed by subsequent versions. These Guidelines may be edited for clarity; the major version will be increased when changes introduce new requirements, define new criteria, or otherwise present a backwards incompatible change.
Contact Us
Please do not hesitate to contact us at trademark@golang.org if you are unsure whether your intended use of the Go Trademarks is in compliance with these guidelines, or to ask for permission to use the Go Trademarks, clearly describing the intended usage and duration. Thank you.