4 “Must Know” Rules About WordPress Logo & Trademark (Explained)

The WordPress logo and trademark come with specific rules. Following these guidelines is essential for anyone sharing content about WordPress.

Although WordPress is open source, its name and logo are still protected by copyright and trademark laws. Many beginners don’t realize this and might accidentally overlook these important rules.

In this guide, we will cover the essential rules for using the WordPress logo and trademark, explain why these guidelines matter, and clarify your rights under the WordPress license.

Understanding GPL – The WordPress License

Let’s start with the basics first.

There are two types of WordPress.

First, there is WordPress.com, which is a hosting company, and then there is the popular WordPress.org, also called self-hosted WordPress.

When most people say WordPress, they are talking about WordPress.org. To learn more, see our guide on the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org.

WordPress is released under the open-source GPL license. This makes WordPress a free software.

However, free here refers to freedom, not something like free coffee.

This license gives anyone the freedom to download, copy, use, study, and modify the WordPress code.

To summarize, the WordPress Bill of Rights guarantees these four freedoms:

1. To run the program for any purpose.
2. To study how the program works and change it to make it do what you wish.
3. To redistribute.
4. The freedom to distribute copies of your modified versions to others.

While the software itself is free to use, you will need to purchase a domain name and web hosting account to install WordPress and make a website.

To learn more, see our article explaining why WordPress is free and what the costs are.

There is a misconception among beginners about free software and copyright. While you are free to use the software code in any way you want, the software itself is protected by copyright and trademark laws.

What does that mean?

Basically, you can copy the WordPress code to make new software, but you cannot call your software WordPress.

The name WordPress is a registered trademark owned by the WordPress Foundation. It is a non-profit organization that ensures that WordPress runs successfully as a free, open-source project.

Why Do You Need to Understand WordPress Logo and Trademark Rules?

WordPress powers nearly 43% of all websites on the internet. That’s a really huge number.

Millions of businesses use WordPress to run their websites, online communities, and blogs effectively.

The WordPress brand and trademark need to be protected to ensure everything works smoothly. That’s why the WordPress trademark was transferred to the WordPress Foundation in 2010.

Now, the problem is that the WordPress Foundation is not the only one that works on WordPress. It is an open-source project where thousands of people contribute to its success.

Apart from those contributors, many companies, individuals, and freelancers worldwide sell WordPress-related products and services.

If you are running a WordPress website, a web design agency, or providing WordPress-related services, then you need to understand these rules to comply with the trademark policies.

That being said, let’s look at the rules and guidelines you must follow to use the WordPress trademark and logo in your projects properly:

Rule 1: Always Write WordPress with a Capital P

The correct way to spell WordPress is with a capital P. The WordPress community takes this capitalization very seriously.

If you are going to mention WordPress anywhere, then make sure that you use the correct spelling. Using an incorrect spelling is frowned upon and considered unprofessional.

WordPress team takes it so seriously that in 2010, they added a built-in filter called capital_P_dangit() in the WordPress 3.0 release.

This function automatically corrects the misspelled instances of WordPress in title, content, and excerpts:

function capital_P_dangit( $text ) {
	// Simple replacement for titles
	$current_filter = current_filter();
	if ( 'the_title' === $current_filter || 'wp_title' === $current_filter ) {
		return str_replace( 'Wordpress', 'WordPress', $text );
	}
	// Still here? Use the more judicious replacement
	static $dblq = false;
	if ( false === $dblq ) {
		$dblq = _x( '“', 'opening curly double quote' );
	}
	return str_replace(
		array( ' Wordpress', '‘Wordpress', $dblq . 'Wordpress', '>Wordpress', '(Wordpress' ),
		array( ' WordPress', '‘WordPress', $dblq . 'WordPress', '>WordPress', '(WordPress' ),
		$text
	);
}

Rule 2: Do Not Use WordPress in Your Domain Name

As we mentioned earlier, the name WordPress is a registered trademark owned by the WordPress Foundation. This protects the WordPress brand and ensures its continued success.

Like any other registered trademark, the WordPress Foundation reserves exclusive usage rights for the term WordPress. This means you cannot use WordPress as part of your brand name or website.

This restriction also includes domain names. For example:

WordPressBeginner.com Wrong!
WPBeginner.com OK!

The WordPress Foundation website explains it in these words:

The abbreviation “WP” is not covered by the WordPress trademarks, but please don’t use it in a way that confuses people.

You can use WordPress in a subdomain such as (wordpress.example.com) as long as you are not claiming to be affiliated with or endorsed by the WordPress open-source project. The WordPress Foundation is mainly concerned with top-level domains.

If you see someone using WordPress in their domain name or brand name, then you should contact the WordPress Foundation and notify them about the violation.

See also: How to register a free domain name for your WordPress website.

Rule 3: The WordPress Logo

The WordPress logo consists of the letter W in a grey or sometimes white circle with a grey ring.

The height of the letter W is tall and graceful. Many bloggers and website owners sometimes mistakenly use the faux logo, which usually has a shorter W.

Make sure that you are using the correct WordPress logo in your projects.

The WordPress logo is also available as a text mark, text mark with the W logo, and W logo.

You can download all these logos from the official WordPress logos page (including WordPress logo PNG and SVG formats).

Feel free to use these images in your projects. However, make sure that you use them following the WordPress trademark policy.

Rule 4: No Affiliation or Endorsement

The WordPress Foundation wants you to use the WordPress logo and brand to promote the WordPress project itself.

However, you are not allowed to use it in a way that suggests endorsement or affiliation with the project. Here are some examples:

• You cannot use the WordPress logo in your product’s advertisements.
• You cannot use WordPress or its logo as part of your logo.
• You can place ‘Powered by WordPress.org’ on your website, but you cannot say ‘Recommended by WordPress.’

In easier words, any attempts to take unfair advantage of the WordPress brand name violate the trademark policy.

What Happens When Someone Doesn’t Follow These Rules?

The WordPress Foundation takes these violations very seriously. You may receive an email from them asking you to comply with their trademark guidelines.

Failure to comply may lead to further actions, including several legal procedures.

For example, if you use WordPress in your domain name, then the Foundation can claim that domain name. Their lawyers can also send you a legal notice.

The legal proceedings would cost you a lot of money, and you would lose support from the WordPress community itself.

The community relies on the WordPress Foundation to take these actions. It benefits everyone in the ecosystem and helps countless WordPress-related companies grow and succeed.

Additional Resources

• The Complete History of WordPress (with Screenshots)
• Who Owns WordPress and How Does WordPress Make Money?
• The Future of WordPress: What to Expect (Our Predictions)

We hope this article helped you understand the rules to comply with the WordPress logo and trademark policies. You may also want to see our article on whether WordPress is outdated or our guide to WordPress career options.

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