Trademark Guidelines

Legal Notices

This document outlines the policy for allowable uses of trademarks owned by Neo4j, Inc. and its subsidiaries (“Neo4j”) by other parties.

Neo4j owns all Neo4j-related trademarks, service marks, and logos on behalf of our communities and the names of all Neo4j® projects are trademarks of Neo4j.

The role of trademarks is to provide assurance about the quality of the products or services with which the trademark is associated. Neo4j has established this Policy to encourage others to make accurate, non-confusing use of the Neo4j trademarks, while also ensuring that those trademarks maintain their distinctiveness and strength as reliable indicators of the source and quality of Neo4j products and services. Although some Neo4j projects may be available under free and open licenses, those licenses cover copyright only and do not include any express or implied right to use our trademarks. Neo4j does not allow third parties to use its trademarks without a written agreement or express permission. Thus, Neo4j projects that are available under open source licenses may be copied, modified, or sold by third parties, but they cannot be branded or marketed with Neo4j trademarks in the absence of a trademark license.

While open-source licenses allow modification of copyrighted software and distribution in original or modified form, such distribution could be misleading if distributed under the same name.  This could cause confusion among consumers of the software as to source. They may mistakenly believe they are receiving software that is produced or supported by Neo4j.  This Policy describes the circumstances under which you may use our trademarks, regardless of the type of license you may have from Neo4j.  In this Policy we are not trying to limit the lawful use of our 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 licensed or non-infringing.

Neo4j® software, which is created and/or distributed by Neo4j, is the software in the exact form that it is distributed by Neo4j without modification of any kind. To the extent any authorized modifications are made to the software, such modified software should no longer bear the Neo4j trademarks. The public has a right to know when it is receiving a genuine Neo4j® product that is quality assured by Neo4j.

The sections that follow describe what trademarks are covered by this Policy, as well as uses of the trademarks that are allowed without additional permission from us. 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.

Our Commitment to Open Source Principles

We want to encourage and facilitate the use of our open source software by the community, but do so in a way that still ensures that the Neo4j trademarks are meaningful as a source and quality indicator for our software and the associated goods and services and continue to embody the high reputation of the software and the community associated with it. This Policy therefore tries to strike the proper balance between: 1) our need to ensure that our trademarks remain reliable indicators of the qualities that they are meant to preserve and 2) our community members’ desire to be full participants in Neo4j® projects.

Trademarks Subject to the Guidelines

Our Trademarks

This Policy covers the following non-exhaustive list of our trademarks:

This Policy encompasses all 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 is not necessarily required for ownership of trademarks. This Policy covers our Marks whether they are registered or not.

1. Our word trademarks and service marks (the “Word Marks”):
   Neo4j®
   Cypher®
   Neo4j® Bloom™
   Neo4j® Desktop™
   Neo Technology®
2. Our logos (the “Logos”)
   • 
3. The unique visual styling of our website and elements used in or otherwise related to the products and services we offer (the “Trade Dress”). See our Style Guide for further information.

Universal Considerations for All Uses

The following guidelines show proper (and improper) use of Marks. Any use of the Marks must be licensed and comply with these guidelines. 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. For example, you cannot say you are distributing the Neo4j® software when you’re distributing a modified version of it, because people would be confused when they are not getting the same features and functionality they would get if they downloaded the software directly from us. You also cannot distribute Neo4j® software using the Marks if you do not have a license from us, because that would imply that your distribution comes from or is supported by Neo4j. You cannot use our Marks on your website in a way that suggests that your website is an official website or that we endorse your website, unless permitted in a written agreement with us. You can, though, say you like the Neo4j® software, say that you participate in the Neo4j® community, or refer to Neo4j® products and services.

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.

Provided that you have obtained a license from Neo4j, you can use the Word Marks in book and article titles, and the Logo in illustrations within the document, as long as the use does not suggest that we have published, endorse, or agree with your work.

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. This includes combinations or integrations of all or portions of the Marks in a way that the public may think of the use as a new mark (e.g. SuperNeo4j, or Neo5k).

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.

Proper Use of the Marks

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 use the Marks in their Exact Form and Distinguishable from Other Text. Always use the Word Marks in a manner distinguished from surrounding text, with initial capital letters, and in the exact form with the correct spelling (neither abbreviated, hyphenated, or combined with any other word or words).

Use Marks as Proper Adjectives Followed by a Generic Term. Trademarks should be used as adjectives followed by a generic modifier, and not as nouns or verbs. Trademarks are products or services, never actions. Do not use “a” or “the” to refer to an instance of the Marks. For example:

Do Not Use Marks in the Possessive Form. Because trademarks are not nouns, they should not be used in the possessive from. For example:

Do Not Use Marks in the Plural Form. Because trademarks are not nouns, they should not be used in the plural form. For example:

Do Not Use Marks to Suggest Endorsement by Neo4j. 

Use of Logos

You may not change any Logo except to scale it proportionally. This means you may not add decorative elements, change the colors, change the proportions, distort it, add elements, or combine it with other logos. The logo may only be used displaying the exact colors shown in our Style Guide.

Mark Attribution and Notices

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 (“™”). Also, if you are using our Marks for uses for which we are granting a separate 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: “Neo4j is a trademark or registered trademark of Neo4j, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States and/or other countries.” 

Possible Infringement

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 at webinfo@neo4j.com so that we can investigate it further.

Updates

Neo4j reserves the right to modify or update this Policy at any time. You should review this Policy from time to time so that you will be aware of any modifications or updates as they will apply as soon as they as posted on this page.

Further Information

Neo4j has tried to make this Trademark Policy as comprehensive and understandable as possible. 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 contact us.

Updated April 23, 2021