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Are any/some/all of the following considered acceptable use of the site names and logos?

I know that there is no "official policy" yet regarding this, but I figured I would show some examples of what I would like to use in my application and try to get some feedback from Kevin, Joel/Jeff, etc before I proceed to invest time and effort on something that I will get sued for :-P

Perhaps we can also use this question to discuss the acceptable use policy for API apps, since there seems to be bits and pieces of information scattered among a few questions and comments on both stackapps and meta -- but no definitive source.

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https://i.stack.imgur.com/DiXa0.png

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3. Drop down using small icons and site names to make a selection

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swanson
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2 Answers2

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I completed a draft of the "Guidelines for the use of Stack Exchange Network Logos and Names" this past weekend.

Update

Here are the relevant portions from the final draft of the logo usage guidelines. Pending any last-minute changes, this should pretty much cover "fair use" of the logos in your applications.

Design of Your Product

Do:

  • Do design your product with unique branding and logos.
  • Do feel free to use our names or logos for the purpose of labeling our sites within your product, as long as use of such logos could not be confused with the branding or endorsement of the product itself.

Do not:

  • Do not copy the look and feel of our products.
  • Do not include elements of our network that are not user-contributed content (i.e. no copyright material).
  • Do not use our name, logo, or service to promote or allow fraudulent, abusive, or otherwise illegal activities.
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Robert Cartaino
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  • That may not be an option for some, who have had the logos deeply embedded in their app since day one. For them, it would be mountains of work to remove the logo from their app only to turn around and add them again should some fair use policy be brought in. – Nathan Osman Jun 01 '10 at 04:12
  • How about saying all new apps refrain from using the logo. 'Cuz I know I'm not the only one who has this problem. – Nathan Osman Jun 01 '10 at 04:13
  • @George: http://stackapps.com/questions/95/are-there-any-high-resolution-scalable-svg-icons-or-images-available/115#115 - they have already said you can't use their logos - all 'new' apps as a policy simply wouldn't work: what about an app I am developing now and have a key for? Is that a new app, or does that already exist? – nobody Jun 01 '10 at 09:22
  • whoops. I'm using the logos on StackTop to tell the user what site they are currently browsing. Would that be allowed under the guidelines or not? – Matt S. Jun 01 '10 at 18:46
  • @Matt: Do what I did - email the team. – Nathan Osman Jun 01 '10 at 19:15
  • @Matt S.: Check my latest update/edit and see if that answers your question. – Robert Cartaino Jun 01 '10 at 20:25
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    @Robert, thank you for posting this excerpt. Will the full draft be available somewhere in the near future? – swanson Jun 01 '10 at 20:39
  • Very near, yes. The final copy will be linked to these sites very soon. – Robert Cartaino Jun 01 '10 at 20:53
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Please someone resolve this!

This has been hanging over my head long enough.

As you all know, my apps make extensive use of the logos. And although I have been careful about how I used them, I wouldn't mind official approval.

Currently I use the logos for:

  • Presenting a list of API-compatible sites to a user
  • In a status panel beside a user's name and score

I would also like to know why my post with the SVG versions of the logos was deleted.

Nathan Osman
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