This legal policy contains important information throughout and we encourage you to read it in full. As the steward for the Rust programming language, the Rust Foundation holds the Trademarks for Rust and Cargo. The Rust Foundation wants the Rust Project and Rust language communities to be able to use the Trademarks how they want, in good faith, as much as possible. We love that you love Rust and want it represented in your projects – these guidelines will help you to do that. We also recognize that legal documents aren’t written in everyday language and might not be easily digestible for everyone. As such, the content in this section aims to summarize the key points that we’d like you to take away from this document in plain English.
A Note on Policy Enforcement
The Rust Foundation’s Trademark Policy exists to protect the work of the Rust Project and Rust communities, and to ensure that the Rust language is not devalued, diluted, or co-opted through misrepresentation or policy infringement. The Rust Foundation has no desire to engage in petty policing or frivolous lawsuits. We will, however, defend the Rust Trademarks robustly where we feel their use, or misuse, has been deliberate, egregious, or in bad faith. In short, we will take a reasonable and proportional approach to enforcing the policy.
Quick Trademark Policy Reference for Common Use-Cases
For more details on specific software use cases and important, expanded details on the scenarios above, please consult the full Rust Foundation Trademark Policy.
Questions?
This policy should cover the majority of questions about what you can and cannot do with the Rust Trademarks, but if you have a question or concern not covered here, or you would like to ask permission for a special license, please get in touch with us at trademark@rustfoundation.org. Please note that we cannot provide legal advice.
Can I use the Rust logo as my Twitter Avatar?
We consider social media avatars on personal accounts to be fair use. On the other hand, using Rust trademarks in corporate social media bios/profile pictures is prohibited.
Can I use a modified version of the logo on social media?
In general, we prohibit the modification of the Rust logo for any purpose, except to scale it. This includes distortion, transparency, color-changes affiliated with for-profit brands or political ideologies.
On the other hand, if you would like to change the colors of the Rust logo to communicate allegiance with a community movement, we simply ask that you run the proposed logo change by us by emailing the file to contact@rustfoundation.org with a description of the changes you’re proposing. In the future, we intend to publish new versions of the Rust logo to accord with community movements (ex: LGBTQIA+ Pride Month, Black Lives Matter, etc.).
I am running an event and want to print some merch with the Rust Logo on them to give away as swag - people will be paying for the tickets, but not specifically for the swag. Is this okay?
Merch developed for freebies/giveaways is normally fine, however you need approval to use the Rust Word and/or Logo to run a for-profit event. You are free to use Ferris the crab without permission.
I am running an event for which I am charging attendees for tickets. Can I use the Rust Logo on my promotional materials?
If your event is for-profit, you will need approval to use the Rust name or Logo. If you are simply covering costs and the event is non-profit, you may use the Rust name or Logo as long as it is clear that the event is not endorsed by the Rust Foundation. You are free to use Ferris the crab without permission.
I am running an event that is free to attend. Can I use the Rust Logo on my promotional materials?
Yes - you may use the Rust name or Logo as long as it is clear that the event is not endorsed by the Rust Foundation. You are free to use Ferris the crab without permission.
I would like to sell stickers/merch that includes a Rust Trademark and donate part of the proceeds to my favorite projects. Is this allowed?
As this would be a commercial use of the Rust name or Logo, you would need our approval to do this, and would need to develop a transparent arrangement for donating the funds.
Can I use the word “Rust” in the name of one of my crates?
The Project would like the word Rust in a crate name to imply ownership by the Project. You should generally use ‘-rs’ instead in this situation. Please see “Use of the marks in toolchains or other software for use with Rust” section.
I am producing educational materials (tutorial blogs, videos, etc.). Can I use Rust Marks in these? If so, what are the stipulations?
You can use the Rust name in book and article titles, and the Logo in illustrations within the work, as long as the use does not suggest that the Rust Foundation has published, endorsed, or agrees with your work. We require this to be stated up front (i.e. before the first paragraph or page of your work) in a clear and dedicated space. You may use the following language or a close variation of it:
Disclosure: The material in this {book/paper/blog/article} has not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved of by the Rust Foundation. For more information on the Rust Foundation Trademark Policy, click here.
Is it possible to get the educational materials I create reviewed and approved by the Rust Foundation and/or the Rust Project?
The Rust Foundation does not currently have a system for official review/approval of community educational resources. With that said, you are free to send drafts to our team if you have individual fair-use questions pertaining to this policy.
I work for a member organization of the Rust Foundation, what does this mean in terms of our usage of the Rust trademarks?
As a Rust Foundation Corporate Member, you are permitted to list your membership status (with reference to the Rust Marks) on websites, blogs, social media profiles, etc. However, the full extent of this policy applies to all individuals or organizations, regardless of their Rust Foundation Membership status.
I am a member of one of the Rust Project teams, what does this mean in terms of my usage of the Rust trademarks?
As a member of a Rust Project team, you are permitted to list this status (with reference to the Rust name or Logo) on websites, blogs, social media profiles, etc. However, the full extent of this policy applies to all individuals, regardless of their affiliation with a Rust Project team.
Can I use ‘Rust’ as part of the name for my project/product/initiative etc in reference to the Rust language?
Generally no - it is not permitted to use the Rust name or Logo as part of your own trademark, service mark, domain name, company name, trade name, product name or service name.
If you already have a product/product/initiative etc. that uses the Rust name or Logo, get in touch with us. We most likely will be willing to enter into a license agreement with you.
Am I prohibited from registering my own trademark/a domain name/company name/trade name/product name/service name that includes the word “Rust” in reference to the language?
The use of Rust Foundation trademarks is not permitted for use in any of these situations.
Where there is any disagreement between the plain English summary or the FAQs and the Rust Trademark Full Policy below, the Rust Trademark Full Policy will control.
Contents
2. Trademarks subject to the guidelines 6
3. Universal considerations for all uses 8
5. Use for non-software goods and services 10
7. General considerations about trademarks and their use 13
The Rust Foundation is an independent non-profit organization established to steward the Rust programming language. It owns and manages the Rust trademarks, which cover the Rust programming language and software, as developed by the Rust Project teams (the “Project”). This document, (the "Policy") outlines the Rust Foundation’s policy for the use of the trademarks. While Rust software is available under a free and open source software license, the copyright license does not include an implied right or license to use the Rust trademarks. This policy provides guidance on when and how you may use the trademarks owned by the Rust Foundation.
The role of trademarks is to provide assurance about the quality of the products or services with which the trademark is used. However, because an open source license allows your unrestricted modification of the copyrighted software, we cannot be sure that your modifications to the software are ones that will not be misleading if the software is then distributed under the same name or services that are offered using the Rust trademarks. Instead, this Policy describes the circumstances under which you may use the trademarks.
In this Policy we are not trying to limit the lawful use of the trademarks, but rather describe for you what we consider the parameters of lawful use to be. Trademark law can be ambiguous, so we hope to provide enough clarity for you to understand whether we will consider your use non-infringing, licensed, or one that we might consider infringing without obtaining specific permission from us.
The goal of the following sections is to list and describe:
1) The trademarks that this Policy covers
2) Trademark use that is allowed without additional permission from us.
If you want to use our trademarks in ways that are not described in this Policy, please see "Where to get further information" below for contact information.
While we strive to make the Policy as comprehensive as possible, any use that does not comply with this Policy or for which we have not separately provided written permission is not a use that we have approved, so you must decide for yourself whether the use is nevertheless lawful.
We know that Rust communities around the world want to be able to use the trademarks, and we are committed to encouraging and facilitating the use of our trademarks as much as we can, while ensuring they remain meaningful as a source and quality indicator for our software, our associated goods and services, and our community. Primarily, we want to ensure that our trademark guidelines protect the work and interests of the Rust communities. This Policy therefore tries to strike the proper balance between:
1) the need and desire of community members and users to support Rust,
and,
2) preventing the misuse of the trademarks in ways that harm the community and Rust users.
Our hope is that everyone will respect our Marks and all that they stand for by following this Policy. For those who do not, we will do our best to try to reach an amicable resolution in order to avoid the last resort of any potential adversarial measures.
This Policy covers:
1. Our word trademarks and service marks (the "Word Marks"):
| Mark | Description of the goods and services |
| ------------- | --------------- |
| Rust® | programming language, software, compiler, library, community |
| Cargo™ | build system, package manager |
| Clippy™ | linting tool |
2. Our logos (the "Logos"):
| Mark | Description of the goods and services |
| ------------- | --------------- |
|[insert gear logo] | programming language, software, compiler, community |
3. The unique visual styling of our website and packaging (the "Trade Dress").
This Policy encompasses all the above trademarks and service marks, whether Word Marks, Logos or Trade Dress, which are collectively referred to as the “Marks.” Some Marks may not be registered, but registration does not equal ownership of trademarks. This Policy covers our Marks whether they are registered or not.
The following trademarks are ones that are reserved exclusively for the use of the Rust Foundation and are not covered by the Policy:
| Mark |
| ------------- |
| Rust Foundation |
| RustConf |
Contact us as described in "Where to get further information" below if you have questions or want to ask permission to use any of these excluded trademarks.
The following words, abbreviations and designs are available for use by anyone consistent with their definition. No special permission is required.
| Word or Design | What it means |
| ------------- | --------------- |
| Crate | A “crate” is a unit of compiled code in the Rust language |
| RS | RS can be used to indicate that the software or project is derived from or based on Rust, compatible with Rust, inspired by Rust, or can be used for the same purpose as Rust |
| [Ferris logo] | The mascot for the Rust project |
| Rustacean | Used to express that one participates in the Rust project |
The Policy is established to protect the integrity of the Rust trademarks and all those who contribute to, and use, Rust. Whenever you use one of the Marks, you must always do so in a way that does not mislead anyone, either directly or by omission, about exactly what they are getting and from whom. The law reflects this requirement in two major ways described in more detail below in ‘What trademark law is about’: it prohibits creating a "likelihood of confusion" but allows for "nominative use." For example, you cannot say you are distributing the Rust compiler when what you are distributing differs from the version distributed by the Rust Project, because people would be confused when they learn they did not get the same features and functionality they would get if they downloaded the Rust compiler directly from us. You also cannot use our logo on your website in a way that suggests that your website is an official website or that we endorse your website. However, you can say you use and like the Rust software, that you participate in the Rust community, that you are providing an unmodified version of the Rust software, or that you wrote a manual describing how to develop software using Rust.
This fundamental requirement, that it is always clear to people what they are getting and from whom, is reflected throughout this Policy. It should also serve as your guide if you are not sure about how you are using the Marks.
## In addition:
- You may not use the Marks in association with the use or distribution of software if you are also not in compliance with the copyright license for the software.
- You may not use or register, in whole or in part, the Marks as part of your own trademark, service mark, domain name, company name, trade name, product name or service name.
- Trademark law does not allow your use of names or trademarks that are too similar to ours. You therefore may not use an obvious variation of any of our Marks or any phonetic equivalent, foreign language equivalent, takeoff, or abbreviation for a similar or compatible product or service. We would consider the following too similar to one of our Marks:
ROST
RUSTY
CARGO NET
- You agree that you will not acquire any rights in the Marks and that any goodwill generated by your use of the Marks inures solely to our benefit.
See Universal considerations for all uses, above, which also apply.
When you redistribute an unmodified copy of the Rust software, you are not changing the quality or nature of it. Therefore, you may retain the Word Marks and the Logos we have placed on the software to identify your redistribution -- whether that redistribution is made via physical products, physical media, or download, and whether that redistribution consists of unmodified source code or executables. If you autogenerate unmodified documentation created by the Project using rustdoc, you do not have to remove any Word Marks or Logos. This only applies if you are redistributing an official distribution from the Rust Project that has not been changed in any way.
See [cross-reference to ## Uses for which we are granting a license; ### Distribution of modified software] for cases where you may modify the software and use the Marks and Logos for it.
You may also use the Word Marks, but not the Logos, to truthfully describe the origin of the software that you are providing, that is, that the code you are distributing is a modification of our software. You may say, for example, “compiled from the Rust source at GitHub” or that "we have included tools taken from the Rust project in our toolchain.” You must also remove our Logos.
If you are creating documentation and have modified it, you do not have to remove any Word Marks or Logos that appear in screenshots or in the text for illustrative or explanatory purposes. However, you must remove them where the use suggest that the Rust Foundation has published or endorsed your version of the documentation, such as on the cover.
Of course, you can place your own trademarks or logos on versions of the software to which you have made modifications, because by modifying the software you have become the origin of that exact version.
You may use the Word Marks, but not the Logos, to truthfully describe the relationship between your software and ours. Our Marks should be used after a verb or preposition that describes the relationship between your software and ours. So you may say, for example, "the Dungeness tool for the Rust compiler" but may not say "the Dungeness Rust compiler," which suggests that Dungeness is the source of the Rust compiler. Some other examples that may work for you are:
[Your software] is written in the Rust language
[Your software] can compile software written in Rust
[Your software] can be used in the Rust compiler toolchain
[Your software] is based on the official Rust compiler
Rust is the name of a language, the name for software, the name of the project, and the name of the community. It must always be clear which one you are referring to when you use “Rust.” If there is a possibility of misinterpretation, you should amend your wording so that there can be no misunderstanding. For example, the term “Rust compiler” can be interpreted as both the compiler distributed by the Project and any compiler that can compile the Rust language. If you are not referring to the compiler distributed by the Project, you must change the wording to make it clear that this is not the compiler distributed by the Project, such as “ABC compiler for Rust.”
You may use the Word Marks and the Logos for the distribution of a modified version of the Rust programming language, compiler, or the Cargo package manager, provided that the modifications are limited to:
- code adjustments for the purpose of porting to a different platform, architecture, or system, or integrating the software with the packaging system of that platform; or
- fixing local paths; or
- adding patches that have been made available upstream and accepted, or submitted upstream and not yet rejected (but you must remove either the patch or the trademark once the patch has been rejected)
Using the Marks in the name of a tool for use in the Rust toolchain, a software program written in the Rust language, or a software program compatible with Rust software, will most likely require a license. The “RS” abbreviation can be used instead.
See Universal considerations for all uses, above, which also apply.
We are very supportive of our global Rust community using the Word Marks and Logos for personal purposes. You may use the Word Marks and the Logos in social media handles, avatars and emojis to show your support for the Project, provided that the use is non-commercial and the use is a comment or clearly decorative, as contrasted with a use that appears to be the branding for a website or application, or any use that suggests endorsement by the Rust Foundation.
You may use the Word Marks and Logos, but not the Trade Dress, on your webpage to show your support for the Project as long as:
- The website has branding that is easily distinguished from the Trade Dress;
- You own branding or naming is more prominent than any Marks;
- The Logos hyperlink to the Project website;
- The site does not mislead customers into thinking that either your website, service, or product is our website, service, or product; and
- The site clearly states that you are not affiliated with or endorsed by the Rust Foundation or Rust Project.
You can use the Word Marks in book and article titles, and the Logo in illustrations within the work, as long as the use does not suggest that the Rust Foundation has published, endorsed, or agrees with your work.
We want to support and facilitate Rust User Groups. You can use the Word Marks as part of your user group name provided that:
- You formally adopt and enforce a robust Code of Conduct appropriate to your specific User Group;
- The main focus of the group is discussion of and education about Rust software;
- Any software or services the group provides are without cost;
- The group does not make a profit;
- Any charge to attend meetings is to cover the cost of the venue, food and drink only.
Note that the Universal considerations for all uses above, still apply, specifically, that you may not use or register the Marks as part of your own trademark, service mark, domain name, company name, trade name, product name or service name.
"Promotional goods" are non-software goods that use the Marks and that are intended to advertise the Project, promote the Project, or show membership in the Project community, such as stickers, socks, key fobs, glassware, etc.
You may make promotional goods for free giveaway at open source conferences and events provided that the goods are in good taste and compatible with the values of the Project.
Events and conferences are a valuable opportunity to grow your network and learning. Please contact us at ‘Where to go for further information’ below if you would like to hold an event using the Marks in the event name. We will consider requests to use the Marks on a case by case basis, but at a minimum, would expect events and conferences using the Marks to be non-profit-making, focused on discussion of, and education on, Rust software, prohibit the carrying of firearms, comply with local health regulations, and have a robust Code of Conduct.
We will likely consider using the Marks as part of a domain name or subdomain an infringement of our Marks.
We would likely consider using the Marks on promotional goods for sale an infringement of our Marks.
The first or most prominent mention of a Mark on a webpage, document, packaging, or documentation should be accompanied by a symbol indicating whether the mark is a registered trademark (®) or an unregistered trademark (™). See our Trademark List above for the correct symbol to use.
Also, if you are using our Marks in a way described in the sections "Uses for which we are granting a license," please put following notice at the foot of the page where you have used the Mark (or, if in a book, on the credits page), on any packaging or labeling, and on advertising or marketing materials: "[MARK] is a trademark of the Rust Foundation, registered in the United States and other countries. Used with permission from the Rust Foundation.”
If you are aware of any confusing use or misuse of the Marks in any way, we would appreciate you bringing this to our attention. Please contact us as described below so that we can investigate it further.
If you have any questions about this Policy, would like to speak with us about the use of our Marks in ways not described in the Policy, or see any abuse of our Marks, please email trademark@rustfoundation.org.
A trademark is a word, phrase, symbol or design, or a combination of words, phrases, symbols or designs, that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others. A service mark is the same as a trademark, except that it identifies and distinguishes the source of a service rather than a product. "Trade dress" or "get up" refers to the look and feel of the packaging, which in this context can include the layout, colors, images, and design choices in a web page. Throughout this Policy, the terms "trademark" and "mark" refer to both trademarks, service marks and trade dress.
However, the use of a word is "not as a trademark" when it is used functionally as part of the software program, for example, in a file, folder, directory, or path name. Use in this way is not a trademark infringement.
There is trademark infringement if your use of a trademark has created a "likelihood of confusion." This means using a trademark in a way that will likely confuse or deceive the relevant consuming public about the source of a product or service using the mark in question. For example, if the "Foo" software extension removes all double spaces after periods, but someone else later creates "Foo" software that adds a third space after periods, consumers would be confused between the two and the newcomer will likely be a trademark infringer. As another example, if a company makes "Foobar" software and a third party offers training called "Foobar Certification," a person is likely to believe, wrongly, that the certification is being offered by the makers of Foobar software. The third party has likely misled consumers about the source of its training and is a trademark infringer.
“Referential use,” "nominative use" or "nominative fair use,” which is the name of the doctrine under U.S. trademark law, allows the use of another's trademark where it is information necessary for understanding. This provision applies in the majority of countries with a trademark law. Other countries' trademark laws also have similar provisions. For example, a car repair shop that specializes in a particular brand of automobile, such as VW, must be allowed to say that they repair VW cars. Here is what you should consider when deciding whether your use of a trademark is a nominative fair use:
- Whether you can identify the product or service in question without using the trademark;
- Whether you are avoiding a likelihood of confusion in the way that you have used the trademark; and
- Whether you have used only as much as is necessary to identify the product or service.
With our "Foobar Certification" example above, the person offering the certification would be allowed to say, under the nominative fair use doctrine, that they are offering "Snow’s Certification for Foobar software."
It is almost never the case that using a Logo will be a nominative fair use since it will be a rare case where the logo is needed for strictly informational purposes.
These rules hold true for all trademarks, not just ours, so you should follow them for our Marks as well as anyone else's.
Always distinguish trademarks from surrounding text with an initial capital letter.
Unacceptable: rust
Acceptable: Rust
Always use trademarks in their exact form with the correct spelling, neither abbreviated, hyphenated, or combined with any other word or words.
Unacceptable: Car-GO!
Acceptable: Cargo
Don't pluralize a trademark.
Unacceptable: I am running five Rusts.
Acceptable: I have five Rust compilers running.
Always use a trademark as an adjective modifying a noun. You can see the nouns we prefer under "Our trademarks."
Unacceptable: This is a Cargo. Anyone can install it.
Acceptable: This is the Cargo package manager. Anyone can install it.
Don't use a trademark as a verb. Trademarks are products or services, never actions.
Unacceptable: I Rusted my program today.
Acceptable: I compiled my program with the Rust compiler today.
Don't use a trademark as a possessive. Instead, the following noun should be used in possessive form or the sentence reworded so there is no possessive.
Unacceptable: Cargo’s desktop interface is very clean.
Acceptable: The Cargo desktop's interface is very clean.
Don't translate a trademark into another language.
Acceptable: Quiero instalar Rust en mi sistema.
Unacceptable: Quiero instalar Óxido en mi sistema.
You may not change any Logo except to scale it. This means you may not add decorative elements, change the colors, change the proportions, distort it, add elements, or combine it with other logos.
However, when the context requires the use of black-and-white or grayscale graphics, and the logo is color, you may reproduce the logo in a manner that produces a black-and-white or grayscale image. (We also provide versions of the logo in black-and-white or grayscale.)
These guidelines are based on the Model Trademark Guidelines, available
at http://www.modeltrademarkguidelines.org, used under a Creative
Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en_US