Developer app guidelines
Developer Guidelines: Using Wikimedia content and trademarks in apps
What is this guide for?
How to use Wikimedia logos or content in your app.
If you want to build a new app that uses Wikimedia marks or Wikimedia content, we think that is great! The Wikimedia Foundation supports this type of reuse. For example, you may obtain reusable Wikimedia data from our API and the dumps page.
We simply ask you comply with our Trademark Policy and the applicable Creative Commons licenses. Together, these rules protect the hard work of the Wikimedia community.
For your convenience, this guide offers helpful information on how to implement those rules to your app. Please use this guide on all apps you build for smartphones, tablets, wearable computers, or any other device.
App title or description:
Use Wikimedia wordmarks in your app only to refer to Wikimedia projects or content.
If you want to use Wikimedia wordmarks or the names of Wikimedia projects (i.e. “Wikipedia”) as the first word in your app title, you need to request a trademark license.
If you want to use Wikimedia wordmarks or the names of Wikimedia projects to describe the content in your app, you do not need to request a trademark license.
For example: an app may state “the encyclopedic content on this app is derived from Wikipedia.”
App icon:
Ask for a license to use a mark in your app icon.
If you want to use a Wikimedia wordmark or another Wikimedia mark in your app icon, please request a trademark license.
If you use any Wikimedia mark, include a trademark symbol (™) on its first use. Also, include this notice in the documentation for your app: “[Wikimedia Wordmark / name of logo as listed on the trademark page] is a trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation and is used with the permission of the Wikimedia Foundation. We are not endorsed by or affiliated with the Wikimedia Foundation.”
Licenses of logos:
Identify the license and follow the rules.
The Wikimedia marks are released under different Creative Commons licenses. Please follow the different license requirements for each mark you want to use. To determine which license applies, please check this the trademark page for the specifics on each Wikimedia mark.
For example, if the mark is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, you must credit the designer, provide a link to the license, and indicate if you modified the design. You may not do so in a way that suggests the designer endorses your use. Also, if you build upon the original material, you have to distribute your content under the same license as the original.
Reuse of content:
Make it available on the same terms to others and give credit.
Most Wikimedia text is licensed under the CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported License and the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL), and photos may be under other free licenses. Please identify which license applies and follow the different license requirements.
For example, Wikipedia’s text is licensed under the CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported License and can also be licensed under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. To determine whether the text is available under the GFDL, review the page footer, page history, and discussion page. You may reuse Wikipedia text under the CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported License, if you distribute your contributions under the same license, indicate any changes you made to the content, and credit the authors through a link back to the page you reused or a list of all the authors.
For more information, please read the Reusers' rights and obligations, Wikimedia Terms of Use, the Reusing Wikipedia content page, and Reusing Wikimedia Commons content page.
Be careful of how you use logos:
Do not confuse users.
Unless you have obtained a license, you may not use logos that look like the Wikimedia marks. Your logos should not suggest that your app is related to the Wikimedia projects, the Wikimedia Foundation, or the Wikimedia mission.
Here are some examples of logos that do not need a license because they are not confusing:
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File:Mobile App Guidelines - not confusing logos 03.png |
Here are some examples of logos that do need a license because they are confusing:
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Butterfly image, posted by Mitch Featherston, in the public domain].
Partnerships:
Do not imply partnership if none exists.
Please do not suggest that you have a partnership with the Wikimedia Foundation, if you do not have a partnership agreement in place.
For example, please do not say “we partnered with Wikipedia.” Instead, you can say “we developed this app to interact with Wikipedia” or “this app uses content from Wikipedia.”
Have clear attribution:
Take credit for your work.
You have worked hard to make your app. Please take credit for it! While attribution of content is important, it is also important that users can easily understand that the Wikimedia Foundation did not develop your app.
Donations:
Be clear about how much you donate.
If you decide to donate a portion of the proceeds from your app to us ⏤ thank you! Please feel free to include that information in your app. Every contribution helps support our mission of making free knowledge available for all.
If you choose not to donate to us, that is fine too, but please do not imply that you donate more than you actually do.
If you think an implication exists, please clarify that no proceeds of your app will be donated to the Wikimedia Foundation.
Questions:
Read the Trademark Policy. Ask questions.
These guidelines do not include all information on the misuse of Wikimedia marks. They also do not cover all instances when you may need to obtain a license.
For more information on anything in this guide, please refer to our Trademark Policy. Also, if you are not sure whether you are allowed to use the Wikimedia marks, please contact us at trademarks@wikimedia.org.