The Pi community is thrilled that talented Pioneer developers are so active in growing the ecosystem! Pioneer developers are showing amazing commitment and passion to build real apps and utilities for all Pioneers—an essential component of the current Enclosed Network period of Mainnet.
While we are overjoyed at this initiative and continue to encourage and support it, we would like to remind developers about important trademark guidelines that are necessary to protect and secure the Pi community at large. These measures help prevent bad actors from misusing or appropriating the Pi trademark and brand to harm Pioneers through scams.
For example, there have been several malicious attempts to scam or defraud Pioneers. One common method is to resemble the Pi Core Team’s trademarks—e.g., word marks, logo, color scheme—to create an impression that they are a part of the Core Team’s initiative or are somehow affiliated with the Core Team. Such hoaxes can result in Pioneers spending their Pi on fake products or services, or losing their wallet passphrase and thus all their Pi tokens.
In order to protect the community and prevent such bad actors from using Pi Network’s marks in misleading ways, trademark compliance has to be enforced consistently. Consequently, this means even the enthusiastic, devoted Pi community developers will have to follow certain guidelines about using the Pi trademarks.
For this reason, we urge our developer community to be mindful of using our trademark responsibly according to our community’s compliance requirements. Pi Network’s brand and reputation are at the heart of the identity and safety of our community and it must, now more than ever, foster responsible practices for Pi trademark usage.
Read on for a general overview of Pi’s policies, and you can find the official Pi Network trademark guidelines and community safety resources below:
Trademark Guidelines
Pi Account Safety blog
Official Pi Communication Channels
How to use the Pi Trademark
Here’s a quick list of tips and examples to help developers navigate Pi trademark guidelines:
- Usage with Pi-compatible apps
If your app is compatible with the Pi blockchain, you may use the Trademark Pi to truthfully specify that it does so. For example:
“This app works on Pi Network.” - Using “Pi” in your app’s name
Your app name is not required to have the word “Pi” in it. However, if you wish to include “Pi” in the name of your Pi app, domain names, and/or social media handles, you will be required to execute a Trademark Licensing Agreement, which will be made available on the Dev Portal app of the Pi Browser.
If permission is granted to use“Pi” in the name, please do so in the form of: “App_Name for Pi” or “App_Name on Pi” or something similar. The same goes for incorporating the word “Pi” in domain names and Social Media handles.
Note: Your app name may NOT be in the form of “Pi App_Name” to avoid Pioneers confusion that your app was created by the Pi Core Team. - Using the Pi Brand Colors
Please do NOT use Pi Network’s brand color palettes in building your app’s design. The colors can cause confusion among Pioneers, and lead them to erroneously believe that your app is affiliated with the Pi Core Team. - Using the Pi logo
Please do NOT use the Pi logo below, in any form or modification, to design your app’s logo.
Visit the official Pi trademark guidelines for further information.
If your app already uses the Pi trademark
- If you are already using the Pi trademark in some form in your app, please review the Pi trademark guidelines to ensure that you are in compliance with its correct usage.
- If your app is using the Pi trademark incorrectly, you are required to change it immediately.
Thank you for respecting the Pi trademarks and upholding our community’s safety. The community is excited and supportive to see all your building efforts in action. Let’s keep building!