Guidelines for Third Party Use of NeXplore Brand Features
General Information
The NeXplore Brand may not be used to imply an endorsement or affiliation with your site. NeXplore’s trademarks, logos, web pages, screen shots, or other distinctive features ("NeXplore Brand Features" or "Brand Features") may not be associated with objectionable material, as determined by NeXplore.
These Brand Features can be used only pursuant to these Guidelines, our Terms and Conditions, and for the specific purposes for which NeXplore has given permission. If you have a written agreement with NeXplore that specifically addresses how you may use its Brand Features, you don't need to go through the approval process here unless you want to do something other than what has been authorized in your existing agreement. Otherwise, the only time you can use Brand Features without advance written permission is if there is clear and express language on our website stating that you can use those Brand Features without first obtaining permission, such as is the case with our search boxes.
When you use any of our Brand Features, you must always follow the Rules for Proper Usage included in these Guidelines. In addition, NeXplore may provide you with written requirements as to the size, typeface, colors, and other graphic characteristics of the NeXplore Brand Features. If we provide these requirements to you at the time of our approval, you must implement them before using our Brand Features. If we provide these requirements to you after we initially gave our permission, you must implement them within a commercially reasonable timeframe.
Trademark Basics
What is a trademark?
A trademark is a word, name, symbol or device (or a combination thereof) that identifies the goods or services of a person or company and distinguishes them from the goods and services of others. A trademark assures consumers of consistent quality with respect to those goods or services and aids in their promotion.
Why is it important to use marks correctly?
Rights to a trademark can last indefinitely if the owner continues to use the mark to identify its goods and services. If trademarks are not used properly, they may be lost and one of the company's most important assets may lose all of its value. Rights may be lost not only because of a trademark owner's improper use of the mark, but through improper use of the trademark by the public.
Rules for Proper Usage
Things to do:
* If you are using a NeXplore trademark, distinguish the trademark from the surrounding text in some way. Capitalize the first letter, capitalize or italicize the entire mark, place the mark in quotes, use a different type style or font for the mark than for the generic name.
* If you do not capitalize the entire mark, always spell and capitalize the trademark exactly as they are shown in the NeXplore Trademarks and Suggested Accepted Generic Terms below.
* Use the trademark only as an adjective, never as a noun or verb, and never in the plural or possessive form.
* Use a generic term following the trademark, for example: nexplore search engine, Nexplore search, NEXPLORE web search.
* Use only NeXplore-approved artwork when using NeXplore’s logos.
* If you are using a NeXplore logo on a web page, there must exist a minimum spacing of 25 pixels between each side of the logo and other graphic or textual elements on your web page.
* Normally, an unregistered NeXplore Brand Feature should be followed by the superscripted letters TM or SM to give notice that the company claims trademark rights in the term. A registered NeXplore Brand Feature should be followed by the symbol ® to identify the term as a registered trademark. In advertising copy, notice of trademark rights may be provided in a footnote format – e.g., by placing an asterisk adjacent to the NeXplore Brand Feature and placing an appropriate notice at the bottom of the page on which the asterisk appears. Example: *NEXPLORE is a trademark of NeXplore Technologies
Things You Can't Do
* One of the conditions for all uses is that you can't mess around with our marks. Only we get to do that. Don’t remove, distort or alter any element of a NeXplore Brand Feature. That includes modifying a NeXplore trademark, for example, through hyphenation, combination or abbreviation. Do not shorten, abbreviate, or create acronyms out of NeXplore trademarks.
* Don’t display a NeXplore Brand Feature as the most prominent element on your web page.
* Don’t display a NeXplore Brand Feature in any manner that implies a relationship or affiliation with, sponsorship, or endorsement by NeXplore, or that can be reasonably interpreted to suggest editorial content has been authored by, or represents the views or opinions of NeXplore or NeXplore personnel.
* Don’t display a NeXplore Brand Feature on any web site that contains or displays adult content, promotes gambling, involves the sale of tobacco or alcohol to persons under twenty-one years of age, or otherwise violates applicable law.
* Don’t display a NeXplore Brand Feature in a manner that is in NeXplore’s sole opinion misleading, unfair, defamatory, infringing, libelous, disparaging, obscene or otherwise objectionable to NeXplore.
* Don’t display a NeXplore Brand Feature on a site that violates any law or regulation.
* Don’t frame or mirror any NeXplore page (including the page that appears in response to a click on the NeXplore logo or NeXplore search box).
* Don’t incorporate NeXplore Brand Features into your own product name, service names, trademarks, logos, or company names.
* Don’t copy or imitate NeXplore’s trade dress, including the look and feel of NeXplore web design properties or NeXplore brand packaging, distinctive color combinations, typography, graphic designs, product icons, or imagery associated with NeXplore
* Don’t adopt marks, logos, slogans, or designs that are confusingly similar to our Brand Features.
* Don’t register NeXplore trademarks as second-level domain names.
* Don’t use NeXplore trademarks in a way that suggests a common, descriptive, or generic meaning.
* Trademark rights vary from country to country. Some countries have severe criminal and civil penalties for improper use of the registration symbol. Therefore, don’t use the registration symbol (®) in countries where the mark has not been registered.
If there is any question about usage, requests for clarification or permission may be submitted through the process outlined at: http://www.nexplore.com/permissions/.
NeXplore Trademarks and Suggested Accepted Generic Terms
The following are some of the trademarks owned by NeXplore Technologies and the suggested generic terms for those trademarks.
Nexplore ™
myCircle ™
Hitlabel ™
adCircle ™
vChat ™
Nexshare ™
Nexplore Ads ™
June 24, 2009