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Rust Legal Policies · The Rust Programming Language

Copyright

Code

Rust's code is primarily distributed under the terms of both the MIT license and the Apache License (Version 2.0), with portions covered by various BSD-like licenses. See LICENSE-APACHE, LICENSE-MIT, and COPYRIGHT for details.

Art

The Rust and Cargo logos (bitmap and vector) are owned by Mozilla and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution license (CC-BY). This is the most permissive Creative Commons license, and allows reuse and modifications for any purpose. The restrictions are that distributors must "give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made". Note that use of these logos, and the Rust and Cargo names, is also governed by trademark; our trademark policy is described below.

Variants of the Rust logo can be found at:

Trademark policy

The Rust and Cargo names and brands make it possible to say what is officially part of the Rust community, and what isn't. So we're careful about where we allow them to appear. But at the same time, we want to allow for as much creative use of these brands as we can. The policy laid out here explains how we strike a balance. If you want to use these names or brands, especially in a commercial way, please read this page or feel free to reach out and ask us about it!

TL;DR: Most non-commercial uses of the Rust/Cargo names and logos are allowed and do not require permission; most commercial uses require permission. In either case, the most important rule is that uses of the trademarks cannot appear official or imply any endorsement by the Rust project.

The Rust trademarks

The Rust programming language is an open source, community project governed by a core team. It is also sponsored by the Mozilla Foundation ("Mozilla"), which owns and protects the Rust and Cargo trademarks and logos (the "Rust Trademarks"). This document provides information about use of the Rust Trademarks specific to a programming language, as well as examples of common ways people might want to use these trademarks, with explanations as to whether those uses are OK or not or require permission. This document supplements the official Mozilla trademark policy which governs use of all Mozilla trademarks.

The Rust Trademarks include two word marks and two logos:

  • Rust
  • Cargo

Trademarks are names and designs that tell the world the source of a good or service. Protecting trademarks for an open source project is particularly important. Anyone can change the source code and produce a product from that code, so it's important that only the original product, or variations that have been approved by the project, use the project's trademarks. By limiting use of the Rust Trademarks, Mozilla and the Rust project can help users and developers know they're getting the product produced by the Rust project and not someone else's modified version. The trademark assures users and developers of the quality and safety of the product they're using.

Using the trademarks

Appearing official, affiliated, or endorsed

The most basic rule is that the Rust trademarks cannot be used in ways that appear (to a casual observer) official, affiliated, or endorsed by the Rust project or Mozilla, unless you have written permission from the Rust core team. This is the fundamental way we protect users and developers from confusion.

Since this rule is about managing perception, it is subjective and somewhat difficult to nail down concretely. There are some obvious ways to avoid problems, like including the word "unofficial" in a very prominent way, but if you have any doubts, we would be more than happy to help; just send mail to trademark@rust-lang.org.

The basics: referring to Rust/Cargo

As with any trademark, the Rust and Cargo word marks can be used with minimal restriction to refer to the Rust programming language and the Cargo package manager and registry.

They may not be used:

  • to refer to any other programming language;
  • in a way that is misleading or may imply association of unrelated modules, tools, documentation, or other resources with the Rust programming language;
  • in ways that confuse the community as to whether the Rust programming language is open source and free to use.

Uses that do not require explicit approval

There are a variety of uses that do not require explicit approval. However, in all of the cases outlined below, you must ensure that use of the Rust trademarks does not appear official, as explained above.

  • Stating accurately that software is written in the Rust programming language, that it is compatible with the Rust programming language, or that it contains the Rust programming language, is allowed. In those cases, you may use the Rust trademarks to indicate this, without prior approval. This is true both for non-commercial and commercial uses.

  • Using the Rust trademarks in the names of non-commercial products like RustPostgres or Rustymine, or in the name of code repositories in e.g. GitHub, is allowed when referring to use with or suitability for the Rust programming language. Such uses may also include the Rust logo, even in modified form. For commercial products (including crowdfunded or sponsored ones), please check in at trademark@rust-lang.org to ensure your use does not appear official.

  • Using the Rust trademarks on t-shirts, hats, and other artwork or merchandise, even in modified form, is allowed for your personal use or for use by a small group of community members, as long as they are not sold. If you want to distribute merchandise with Rust Trademarks at a Rust affiliated event, please contact us for permission at trademark@rust-lang.org.

  • Using the Rust trademarks (even in modified form) for social events like meetups, tutorials, and the like is allowed for events that are free to attend. For commercial events (including sponsored ones), please check in at trademark@rust-lang.org. However, the words "RustCamp", "RustCon" or "RustConf" cannot be used without explicit permission. And, as with all of the above uses, the event cannot appear to be officially endorsed or run by the Rust project without written permission.

  • Using the Rust trademarks in books or publications like "Rust Journal" or "Rust Cookbook" is allowed.

  • Using of the word "Rust" on websites, brochures, documentation, academic papers, books, and product packaging to refer to the Rust programming language or the Rust project is allowed.

Uses that require explicit approval

  • Distributing a modified version of the Rust programming language or the Cargo package manager and calling it Rust or Cargo requires explicit, written permission from the Rust core team. We will usually allow these uses as long as the modifications are (1) relatively small and (2) very clearly communicated to end-users.

  • Selling t-shirts, hats, and other artwork or merchandise requires explicit, written permission from the Rust core team. We will usually allow these uses as long as (1) it is clearly communicated that the merchandise is not in any way an official part of the Rust project and (2) it is clearly communicated whether profits benefit the Rust project.

  • Using the Rust trademarks within another trademark requires written permission from the Rust core team except as described above.

Notes

If you have any doubts about whether your intended use of a Rust Trademark requires permission, please contact us at trademark@rust-lang.org.

This document was derived in part from the Python Software Foundation Trademark Usage Policy.

This document is not an official statement of Mozilla trademark policy, but serves to clarify Mozilla's trademark policy as it relates to Rust.

Helping Out

As a member of the Rust community, please keep an eye out for questionable uses of the Rust logo and "Rust" word mark. You can report potential misuse to trademark@rust-lang.org. We will evaluate each case and take appropriate action.

Please do not approach users of the trademarks with a complaint. That should be left to Mozilla and its representatives.

Thanks!

License

Interested parties may adapt this document freely under the Creative Commons CC0 license.