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Copyright and trademark information

© Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.

U.S. Government Users Restricted Rights - Use, duplication or disclosure restricted by GSA ADP Schedule Contract with IBM Corp.

IBM web site pages may contain other proprietary notices and copyright information which should be observed.

IBM trademarks

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z, Numeric, other company trademarks.

Trademarks owned by IBM

This is a current listing of United States trademarks owned by IBM. Please note that laws concerning use and marking of trademarks or product names vary by country. Always consult a local attorney for additional guidance

Not all common law marks used by IBM are listed on this page. Because of the large number of products marketed by IBM, IBM's practice is to list only the most important of its common law marks. Failure of a mark to appear on this page does not mean that IBM does not use the mark nor does it mean that the product is not actively marketed or is not significant within its relevant market.

Those trademarks followed by ® are registered trademarks of IBM in the United States; all others are trademarks or common law marks of IBM in the United States.

This list is not a comprehensive list of all IBM trademarks.


Last Updated: June, 2008
Next Update: July, 2008


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Fair use guidelines for use and reference of IBM trademarks

IBM "trademarks" include the famous IBM eight bar logo and other designs owned and used by IBM (collectively referred to herein as "logos"), as well as IBM product and service names (collectively referred to herein as "product names").IBM takes great care in the development and protection of its trademarks and reserves all rights of ownership of its trademarks.

Use of IBM logos

IBM carefully limits the use of its logos. No other company may use IBM logos unless it has the express written permission of IBM, or is licensed by IBM to do so.

To obtain permission to use any IBM logo, contact your IBM representative or the IBM Call Center at 1-800-IBM4YOU (1-800-426-4968) and ask for Corporate Branding.

Fair use of IBM product names

"Fair use" of trademarks allows third parties to make reference (text ONLY) to IBM product names. The following guidelines are published to ensure proper use and reference to IBM product names.

While fair use allows use of or reference to IBM product names, it is necessary that the usage be truthful, not disparaging to IBM, and does not mislead the public. You must be clear and accurate as to the nature of the relationship between IBM and your company, its products or services.

Following are two common types of fair use:

  1. Use of IBM product names by third parties is allowed by IBM without permission or license when specifically referring to IBM products. Example: IBM WebSphere software is a middleware platform.
  2. Use of IBM product names by third parties is allowed by IBM without permission or license when indicating that an IBM product is compatible with another product.
    Examples: XYZ is compatible with IBM WebSphere software products. XYZ for IBM Lotus Notes.

Please note that the emphasis should be on your product name and any accompanying packaging produced by your company.Labeling should place emphasis on your product name so that it is perceived as an application, developed with, compatible or running on an IBM product).

General rules for proper reference to IBM product names

Following are general rules for proper usage of product names:

  1. The first use of each IBM product name mentioned in communications must be identified in a footnote or attribution. The attribution must be located either on the page/screen where the IBM product name is used, or in the legal section of the communication or site in which it is referenced. Please note that laws concerning use of trademarks or product names vary by country. Always consult a local attorney for additional guidance.
    Example: IBM, MVS and WebSphere are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.
  2. In the United States, the first reference in text to all IBM product names should be preceded by IBM and followed by the proper trademark symbol. The proper symbol for registered product names is ®. The proper symbol for product names which are the subject of pending applications or are used in accordance with common law trademark principles is ™.
    Examples: IBM® WebSphere® is the leading software platform for e-business on demand™. The IBM® MVS™ operating system … Rules for marking product names differ by country. You may need to seek guidance from a trademark professional.
  3. A product name should be used as an adjective qualifying a noun that is a generic description of the product or service. The product name should also be used in a singular form.
    Example: The WebSphere software family includes over 150 products …
  4. Do not change the form or representation of the product name, including capitalization or punctuation.
    Example: WebSphere®, DB2®, Lotus®, Tivoli®

Use of "IBM" as a company name

"IBM", the 3 letters in text, is both a trademark (product name) of International Business Machines Corporation, and an abbreviation of its company name. When "IBM" is used to identify the company International Business Machines Corporation, it is called a trade name. Trade name usage typically applies when referring to a company as opposed to a particular product. It is permissible to use IBM as a possessive if you are referring to IBM the company. In that case the name does not identify goods or services (which are legally the domain of trademarks).

Incorrect use of IBM trademarks

Special attributions

The listed trademarks of the following companies require marking and attribution:

Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.