Trademark Use Policy

You can truthfully discuss your relationship with the Worldcoin protocol (“Worldcoin”) and the Worldcoin Foundation (“Foundation,” “we,” or “us”). However, never use a Worldcoin Trademark in a way that:

• could confuse people about what they are getting, what it does, or who they are getting it from;
• falsely suggests your product, service, or event is an official product, service, or event of Worldcoin, or that it is sponsored or endorsed by the Foundation, unless you have first received our permission in writing.

Worldcoin is a decentralized, open-source protocol built in the spirit of trust and collaboration, with the Foundation as its initial steward. This Policy seeks to encourage and facilitate appropriate use of Worldcoin Trademarks while the community works together to enable universal access to the global economy. It’s important that community members can trust the authenticity of the Worldcoin services they rely on, and the protocol’s brands serve this important source-verifying purpose. This Policy is an effort to strike a reasonable balance between community participation through the free and open use of the Worldcoin brands, and protecting the community and maintaining the integrity of the project overall.

The Worldcoin Trademarks covered by this Policy include:

1. the WORLDCOIN trademark
2. the WORLD ID trademark
3. the ORB trademark
4. the Worldcoin Logo Design:

1. Truthfully Identifying Worldcoin Products and Services

No advance written permission is necessary for you to truthfully and accurately identify the Worldcoin protocol, the Worldcoin Foundation, or Worldcoin products or services by their correct names, provided that you do not cause confusion or suggest or imply any sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation between yourself and the Worldcoin protocol or Foundation, for example by using our logos in connection with your use.

Examples of uses that we allow and encourage include: (1) technical support that accurately claims it is “Unofficial support for Worldcoin products,” (2) software that accurately claims it is “compatible with Worldcoin,” and (3) a book entitled “Getting started with Worldcoin.”

You may publish informational resources about Worldcoin, so long as you do not falsely imply that such resources are authorized, sponsored, endorsed, or provided by Worldcoin or the Foundation itself.

2. Use of Our Compatibility Marks To Truthfully Identify Compatible Software

We may make available certain marks for use by our community, to help you label products and services that are compatible with the Worldcoin platform and with the World ID product (the “Compatibility Marks”).

You may display those Compatibility Marks where consumers will encounter your products and services, including on your website adjacent to compatible products or services, and on your compatible products or services, provided that the Compatibility Marks are less prominent than your own branding, and are used in a manner unlikely to cause confusion as to the source, origin, sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation with Worldcoin or the Foundation.

3. Personal, Non-Commercial Use on Affinity Products

You may use the Worldcoin Trademarks without asking for permission on products you make at your own expense, like t-shirts and stickers, that express your affinity for the protocol and community, provided that: (1) your use is noncommercial in nature and you give the products away for free; (2) your use is not misleading and not likely to cause confusion as to whether Worldcoin sponsored, endorsed, or was otherwise involved in creating or offering your products; and (3) if you are offering more than 50 units, you do not advertise or offer the products online.

As an officially approved Operator Partner (i.e., Worldcoin Operator, Community Specialist, or similar formally contracted partner), you may, during the time of their engagement, give up to three (3) units of affinity products for free to each person you sign up for a World ID using our official Orb imaging device. You may not charge for such products, and any such products you choose to make must be made at your own expense.

If you want to sell affinity products (even if you’re just charging a nominal fee to cover your costs), want to give away more than 50 units online, or want to make any other uses not specifically permitted here, you must obtain the Foundation’s written permission first.

4. Events and Meetups

You may use the WORLDCOIN word trademark in the title of an event, camp, or meet-up that is about Worldcoin, but not in any manner that may imply official sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement by Worldcoin or the Foundation, unless you have the Foundation’s prior written permission to do so. For example, an event called “Worldcoin Conference” would imply that Worldcoin is affiliated with your conference. An event called “[Your Neighborhood Name] Worldcoin Users Meetup” would be less likely to cause confusion.

You must include an appropriate disclaimer in any advertising and marketing materials related to an event or meetup, such as “This event is independent of the Worldcoin Foundation, and has not been sponsored, endorsed or approved by them.”

When organizing an event, camp or meetup, please ensure it is safe, accessible, high-quality, and reflects the values of the Worldcoin Foundation and the Worldcoin project overall.

Below are some examples of uses of the Worldcoin Trademarks that are not permitted without prior written approval. This list is not exhaustive, and if you are unsure whether your intended use requires approval, please contact [email protected].

1. Any usage falsely implying that Worldcoin or the Foundation itself is the source of, or has sponsored, endorsed or approved of, your product or service.

Any use that is likely to cause confusion as to source/origin, or as to sponsorship/endorsement/affiliation, must be pre-approved in writing.

2. Using any Worldcoin Trademark or any confusingly similar trademark in a domain name, internet account name, product or service name, or in your company name, except as otherwise permitted in this Policy.

It’s critically important that the public be able to rely on the Worldcoin Trademarks to accurately determine which products and services Worldcoin provides, which products and services Worldcoin is affiliated with and/or officially sponsors or endorses, and which are offered independently by members of the community without official involvement. Therefore, except as specifically permitted by us or by this Policy, you may not use the Worldcoin Trademarks, or any confusingly similar mark, in your:

• domain name,
• internet account name (such as a Twitter handle),
• company name, or
• products or services (including software title).

This extends to obvious variations of our marks, phonetic equivalents, foreign language equivalents, abbreviations, and the like. Please use your own, distinct brand name for these purposes.

If your product works with or is compatible with Worldcoin products or services, this Policy provides options for informing your users of that in a non-confusing manner, including through use of any compatibility marks we may make available for use.

3. Use in advertising

You may not use any Worldcoin Trademark or any confusingly similar trademark in your advertisements, including banner ads, Facebooks promoted posts, Google Adwords/Adsense, YouTube/television advertisements, and the like, without our prior written permission.

4. Harmful and illegal uses

You may not use any Worldcoin Trademark or any confusingly similar trademark in any manner that is deceptive, confusing, harmful, or illegal, including without limitation in any manner that infringes the intellectual property rights of any party, constitutes an unfair or deceptive business practice or false advertising, or that is fraudulent, harassing, offensive, defamatory, or misleading.

5. Distributing any modified version of our software

A lot of Worldcoin software is made available for use under open-source licenses, and the community is encouraged to engage in all uses that are authorized under those licenses, but please note that open-source software copyright licenses do not include a license to use Worldcoin brands or trademark rights.

Although you may truthfully refer to unmodified Worldcoin software as originating from Worldcoin, you may not associate Worldcoin brands with software that has been modified – even if it has been modified in only a minor way. If you fork or otherwise modify any portion of our open-source software, please use a distinct brand, so it’s clear to the community that you, not Worldcoin, is the source of the modified software.

You are encouraged to truthfully discuss your participation in the Worldcoin community and ecosystem, though, including through responsible use of Worldcoin Trademarks, consistent with this Policy.

“Packaging” software, or creating a new software package, refers to the process of modifying the original source code of software solely for the purpose of enabling that software to function in a different operating system environment (e.g., modifying its libraries, dependencies, etc.), without modifying the functionality and/or objectives of the original software product. As noted above, you are generally not permitted to use the Worldcoin Trademarks in connection with software derived from our open-source products. But, if you are only creating a new package of an open-source product, you can use the Worldcoin Trademarks provided that you do each of the following:

1. You may use the mark only when packaging the particular open source product it refers to. For example, if you are creating a World ID package for a new operating system, you may use only the World ID trademark in connection with that package; nothing in this section is intended to give you additional rights or licenses to use the World ID word mark or any other Worldcoin Trademark.
2. You may only use the word mark (e.g., World ID) and not any design marks, logos, or the like, that may be associated with the software product you are packaging.
3. You may use the mark only in connection with packaging software for use with the particular operating system specified in your request (as explained below), and only where you are making no significant or functional change to the software. If you’d like to make significant or functional changes to the software, and would like to offer your software under a Worldcoin Trademark, please contact us, as described in this Policy. This process allows us to work with developers who are planning new features and ensures we can catch any quality, security, or compatibility issues that may arise from planned functional changes.
4. Any package you create using a Worldcoin Trademark must be of high quality, and in particular must meet any standards of quality that we establish, and as we may change from time to time. We reserve the right to request changes if your software deviates from our quality standards, and your continued use of all Worldcoin Trademarks is expressly conditioned on your prompt implementation of such changes.
5. We have the right to audit any software whose trademark you use pursuant to the permission granted in this section. In particular, upon our request you must provide us with a link to the project source code e.g., at GitHub, and/or any advertising associated with the product, so that we can audit it periodically to ensure its quality, compatibility with the upstream version, etc. If you decide to cease active development of your package, you agree to let us know about that too. Please keep us updated on the status of your package going forward, and let us know if the person maintaining the project changes.
6. Consistent with the other elements of this policy, please don’t do anything to imply a greater level of sponsorship by or affiliation with Worldcoin or with the Foundation than actually exists.
7. Before using any Worldcoin Trademark in connection with any package, you must first contact Worldcoin at [email protected] to provide (1) the name of the software you are packaging, and the operating system(s) you are packaging it for; (2) your contact information; (3) a link to your project’s source code and, if you have one, project website; and (4) a description of how you intend to use the Worldcoin Trademarks in connection with your package.

Thank you for your support!

When using a Worldcoin Trademark as permitted by this Policy, or if the Foundation has granted you specific permission, you must follow these guidelines:

• Use the appropriate trademark symbol (® for registered trademarks and ™ for unregistered trademarks) with the most prominent appearance of the trademark (usually in a headline, title, or first occurrence in text) and with each appearance of the trademark on product packaging, brochures, manuals, advertisements, and web pages.
• Use the trademark as an adjective followed by a generic noun (e.g., “Worldcoin® platform”). Do not use the trademark as a noun (e.g., “use Worldcoin”) or as a verb (e.g., “Worldcoin your payment”).
• Use the trademark in its proper spelling and capitalization. Do not abbreviate, hyphenate, misspell, combine the trademark with other words, or alter the trademark in any way.
• When using a Worldcoin logo mark, use it exactly as provided at https://worldcoin.org/press. Do not modify or alter the logo in any way, such as by changing the colors, proportions, orientation, or fonts. Use the logo in a clear and uncluttered space. Do not place the logo over a busy background or near other logos or graphics that may interfere with its visibility. Use the logo in a size that is legible and appropriate for the context. Do not use the logo in a size that is too small or too large. Use the logo only in connection with the corresponding Worldcoin Trademark and in accordance with this Policy.
• Use the trademark in a manner that distinguishes it from the surrounding text, such as by using a different font, color, size, or style.
• Include a trademark attribution statement in a footnote or other appropriate location, such as: “Worldcoin and the Worldcoin logo are registered trademarks; all rights reserved.”
• Comply with all trademark guidelines we provide, whether in this Policy or otherwise, as may be updated from time to time

If you wish to use any of the Worldcoin Trademarks in a manner that is not expressly permitted by this Policy or by a trademark law exception such as nominative fair use, please submit a request with the subject line “Trademark Use Request ([mark name])” to [email protected].

For most efficient processing of your request, your email should:

• provide full and complete contact information for you and your company;
• provide plenty of detail regarding the requested use;
• contain a mockup of the requested use; and
• be clear as to timing and when you require approval.

If you will be seeking permission for affinity items, please also indicate how you anticipate pricing them. If you will be charging more than the affinity items cost to produce, you will likely be asked to donate any profits in excess of your costs to the nonprofit Worldcoin Foundation. Please submit all permission requests at least four (4) weeks before you require approval.

Please report any misuse of the Worldcoin Trademarks to [email protected]. Provide as much information as you can about the use you think might be infringing. The report will be investigated, and appropriate action taken, if warranted.

We reserve the right to withdraw our permission, to amend this Policy, and to challenge or restrict any use of our trademarks if we believe that such use violates this Policy or otherwise harms the Worldcoin community, or the products or services associated with Worldcoin.

If you have any questions about this Policy or want to request permission to use a Worldcoin Trademark, please contact [email protected]. Your cooperation and support in keeping the Worldcoin protocol and community healthy is appreciated!