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Trademark Policy

Last updated: January 12, 2022

This Policy covers general rules for referring to edX and using trademarks, service marks, and logos that edX may license to you (collectively, “edX Marks”).

The following is a non-exhaustive list of edX Marks:

  • edX®
  • Open edX®
  • MicroMasters®*
  • MicroBachelors®*

* edX is an authorized licensee of the MicroMasters® and MicroBachelors® trademarks and these edX Marks are used by edX with permission of the trademark owner.

Trademark guidelines for several edX Marks are linked below.

edX reserves the right to change the terms of this Policy or any guidelines at any time, in its sole discretion, by posting the updated Policy or guidelines to the edX website. To ask any questions about this Policy or to report any unauthorized use of edX Marks, please email trademarks@edx.org.

General Rule: Permission Required

As a rule, a trademark license is required in order to use any edX Mark. Except for the three exceptions outlined below, this Policy does not count as “permission to use” any trademarks, and there are no “open source” pre-approved use cases. To request permission to use any edX Mark, please email trademarks@edx.org.

Exceptions

Without a separate trademark license:

  • You may use edX Marks in text for the sole purpose of referring to or describing edX’s website, products, and services. For example: if you have a product or service that is compatible with the Open edX platform, you may use “Open edX” to describe the compatibility, such as “runs on,” “for use on,” or “compatible with” the Open edX platform.
  • If you use the Open edX platform:
    • you should add the “Powered by Open edX” logo in the footer of each page of your website, and the logo should include a live link to the Open edX website. See the Powered by Open edX logo page for variants of this logo and instructions on how to add it to your instance; and
    • you may use the “Powered by Open edX” logo on any course certificates or other credentials issued in connection with your instance in accordance with the Open edX trademark guidelines linked below.
  • If you offer services and/or products that support the Open edX platform, you may use the “Open edX” word mark in the path of a URL for your website for such services and/or products. For clarity, this exception applies solely to (1) the “Open edX” word mark and not to any other edX Marks and (2) use in the path of a URL; you may not use the “Open edX” word mark or any other edX Mark in a website domain. For example:
    • openedx.yourdomain.org
    • edx.yourdomain.org
    • www.yourdomain.com/services/edx
    • www.yourdomain.com/services/openedx

Specifications for Use

All uses of edX Marks must comply with the applicable trademark guidelines and also:

  • Identify the edX, Open edX, MicroMasters, and MicroBachelors marks as registered trademarks ® .
    The above-listed edX Marks are registered by edX or the applicable trademark owner in a number of countries around the world. For the first and most prominent usage of the above-listed edX Marks in any context, use the symbol "®" after the edX Mark as a notice to third parties of the trademark owner’s rights in these edX Marks. (Later uses on that same website, document, or other material do not need to be marked.)
  • Include a trademark attribution statement.
    If an edX Mark appears on your website, document, or other material, add the following attribution statement that identifies the trademark owner:
    “edX and Open edX are registered trademarks of edX LLC. MicroMasters and MicroBachelors are registered trademarks of The Center for Reimagining Learning. All Rights Reserved.”
    The statement must be in a legible font and size at the bottom of your website or the end of your advertisement or publication. If you are using only one or two edX Marks, you may shorten the statement to list only those Marks in use. Additionally, any use of the edX or Open edX logos on a website must include a live link to the edX or Open edX websites.
    Additionally, any use of the edX, MicroMasters or MicroBachelors logos on a website based on a license from edX must include a live link to the edX website and any use of the Open edX logo must include a live link to the Open edX website.
  • Use edX Marks only as adjectives.
    Trademarks are adjectives, and an edX Mark should be used only to describe the edX website, products, or services to which the trademark applies — for example, the “Open edX platform”, a “MicroMasters program”, or a “MicroBachelors program”.
  • Use edX Marks less prominently than your own.
    Except where otherwise expressly permitted by edX, any use of an edX Mark must appear less prominent than your own product or service name.
  • Do NOT change the spelling or appearance of any edX Marks.
    Do not abbreviate, hyphenate, create acronyms; change the spelling, capitalization, or appearance; add or delete any words or spacing; change any color or proportion; or otherwise modify the logo or design of an edX Mark in any way. Only use an approved logo rendition as provided by edX.
  • Do NOT use or register a domain name with any edX Marks.
    Your domain names may not include any edX Marks or other words that are confusingly similar to an edX Mark. Examples of unacceptable domains include:
    • openedx.yourdomain.org
    • edx.yourdomain.org
    • openedxyourdomain.org
    • yourdomain-edx.com
  • Do NOT use any edX Marks as your own.
    You may not use, incorporate, combine, or register in whole or in part any edX Mark - or any word or design that is confusingly similar to an edX Mark - as part of (or with) your own company names, trade names, trademarks, service marks, or logos; your product or service brand names or titles for sales reps or other staff; your internet keywords or metatags; or your trigger words to lead to a website or other Internet destination, product, business, or service.
  • Do NOT imply any edX endorsement or sponsorship.
    Without the express prior written consent of edX, you may not use any edX Marks to imply an affiliation with edX or any approval, sponsorship, or endorsement by edX of your company, website, products, or services.
  • Do NOT use edX Marks in any way that damages edX.
    You may not use edX Marks in a manner that disparages edX, its products or services, or the Open edX community or damages edX’s brand integrity, including use of any edX Marks in a manner that is offensive, defamatory, illegal, or unethical.

The above specifications are not a comprehensive list of approved or unauthorized uses of edX Marks. If edX determines at any time, in its sole discretion, that your use of any edX Mark violates this Policy, any trademark guidelines or is otherwise unacceptable or detrimental, edX may revoke permission, and you must immediately cease all use of the edX Mark.

 

TRADEMARK GUIDELINES:

edX® Trademark Guidelines PDF 

Open edX® Trademark Guidelines PDF

MicroMasters® Trademark Guidelines PDF 

MicroBachelors® Trademark Guidelines PDF 

 

APPROVED LOGO RENDITIONS:

edX Logo

Open edX Logo

MicroMasters Logo

MicroBachelors Logo