BRANDING GUIDELINES FOR USING MAKERBOT TRADEMARKS
EFFECTIVE DATE: APRIL 18, 2016
Our trademarks are important. Our trademarks are words, names, symbols or design serves that uniquely identify a single source of origin for our goods and services and distinguish us from others. The following branding guidelines (“Branding Guidelines”) provide detailed information about how to refer to MakerBot trademarks in various scenarios without compromising the strength of our brand identity.
A. TARGET AUDIENCE
Licensees, authorized resellers, developers, customers, and other parties for use in promotional, advertising, instructional, or reference materials, or on their web sites, products, labels, or packaging. NOTE: If you are a LICENSEE of a MakerBot trademark or logo, your license agreement may have specific usage guidelines different from the guidelines set forth below. If this is the case, please follow those specific guidelines; otherwise, please follow the ones below.
B. GUIDELINES
Make the Mark Look Like a Mark. Where it makes sense, distinguish marks like MakerBot® Replicator® and MakerBot® Digitizer® from the surrounding text. You can do this in a variety of ways:
- Initial Capital Letters – Preferable in running text
- All Capital letters – Preferable in graphically designed copy
- Bold type
- Underlining
C. USE AND SPELL THE MARK CORRECTLY
Trademarks are adjectives used to modify nouns; the noun is the generic name of a product or service. An appropriate generic term must appear after the trademark the first time it appears in a printed piece, and as often as is reasonable after that. For example: First use: MakerBot Replicator Desktop 3D Printer Subsequent uses: MakerBot Replicator.
D. DISTRIBUTION WITHIN THE UNITED STATES ONLY
On product, product documentation, or other communications that will be distributed only in the United States, use the appropriate trademark symbol (TM, SM, ®) the first time the MakerBot trademark appears in the material, in accordance with the below list:
- MakerBot®
- Note: Do not use the ® symbol in references to the corporation, MakerBot Industries, LLC.
- Thingiverse®
- MakerCare®
- MakerWare®
- MakerBot® Replicator®
- MakerBot® Digitizer®
- MakerBot® PrintShop®
- MakerBot Academy®
E. USE TRADEMARK NOTICES
Include an attribution of MakerBot ownership of the trademark(s) in the credit notice section of your documentation or advertisement. Follow this format:
- MakerBot [insert any other trademarks used] is a registered trademarks [or trademarks] of MakerBot Industries, LLC in the United States and/or other countries.
F. DISTRIBUTION OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES
Do not use trademark symbols on materials that will be distributed outside the United States. Instead, use trademark notices that include an attribution of MakerBot ownership of the trademark(s) in the credit notice section of your documentation or advertisement. Follow this format:
- MakerBot [insert any other trademarks used] is/are a registered trademarks [or trademarks] of MakerBot Industries, LLC in the United States and other countries.
G. UNAUTHORIZED USE
Avoid Confusion: Do not use any trademarks, service marks, trade dress, designs or logos that are similar to the MakerBot trademarks, service marks, trade dress, designs or logos. Do not use or register, in whole or in part, MakerBot, Thingiverse, or any other MakerBot trademark, including MakerBot-owned graphic symbols, logos, icons, or an alteration thereof, including confusingly similar marks, as or as part of a company name, trade name, domain name, product name, or service name except as specifically noted in these guidelines. Do not use a MakerBot trademark, graphic symbol, logo, or icon in a disparaging manner. Do not mislead consumers as to any MakerBot sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement of your company or of your products or services. Do not use the MakerBot marks in any way or on any website that contains or promotes adult content, gambling, or otherwise violates applicable law or regulation Do not imitate the distinctive MakerBot packaging, web site design, logos, or typefaces.
H. DO NOT USE INAPPROPRIATE DESCRIPTORS
MakerBot trademarks identify specific products and services. Do not refer to applications, services or devices that work with MakerBot products incorrectly. For example, do not refer to applications that work with MakerBot 3D printers as “MakerBot” applications. If necessary, you can instead refer to the applications by their relationship with the MakerBot products. For example, you can write that the application is compatible with MakerBot 3D printers, so long as that is correct.
I. AVOID USING THE MARK IN THE PLURAL OR POSSESSIVE FORM
Trademarks are adjectives used to modify nouns; the noun is the category of a product or service. Trademarks should not be used in the plural or possessive form. When “MakerBot” refers to the company, not to a product or brand, the possessive form may be used. For example, “MakerBot’s headquarters is in Brooklyn, NY.”
J. AVOID USING FORMS OF THE MARK AS VERBS
Do not weaken trademarks by turning them into verbs. For example, avoid terms like “makerbotting,” “digitizing,” and “digitize” to describe the function of a 3D printer or scanner. These incorrect uses imply that MakerBot and Digitizer are not brands but generic names for 3D printers and scanners.
K. AVOID USING THE MARK AS A NOUN
Trademarks are adjectives used to modify nouns; the noun is the category descriptor of a product or service.
L. AVOID SLANG AND NICKNAMES
Do NOT use slang or nicknames. Slang includes, but is not limited to:
- Bot
- Bots
- MakerBot (as a noun referring to a product)
- MakerBots
- Rep
- Rep 2
- Digi
M. MAKERBOT LOGOS
Do not use the MakerBot “M” logo or any other MakerBot logos, symbols or icons for any purpose except pursuant to an express written trademark license from MakerBot.
N. MERCHANDISE ITEMS
Do not manufacture, sell, or give away merchandise items like t-shirts that bear any MakerBot mark, except pursuant to an express written trademark license from MakerBot. MakerBot reserves to the right to alter these guidelines at any time.
O. MAKERBOT DEVELOPER PROGRAM
Restrictions on use of Marks. a. In addition to the foregoing guidelines herein, you are not allowed to: i. Issue any formal press release via traditional or online media referring to MakerBot without MakerBot’s prior written consent, unless expressly allowed in the Branding Guidelines; ii. Use the MakerBot Marks or any variation of them in your product name or domain name; iii. Utilize search engine optimization (SEO) or search engine marketing (SEM) in conjunction with the MakerBot brand, including the MakerBot Marks; iv. Display the MakerBot Marks in any way that is misleading, defamatory, infringing, trade libelous, disparaging, obscene, or otherwise objectionable to MakerBot in its sole discretion, or in a way that suggests we have created, sponsored, or endorsed your Application or its content; v. Use any of our logos unless otherwise provided; and/or vi. Remove any legal, copyright, trademark, watermark, or other proprietary rights notices contained in or on materials you receive or access pursuant to this Agreement, including the APIs and the Sites.