Version 1.0 — Last Updated: July 31st, 2026
Trademark policy
Preamble
This Policy applies to all names, logos, service marks, and any other distinctive visual assets, whether registered or not, used or related to the Grist project (collectively “Trademarks”), which are the exclusive property of Grist Labs, Inc.
Grist® includes an open source core, meaning that its license gives permission to use, modify, study, and distribute the code using copyright. The trademarks, on the other hand, identify the project and the software it releases and vouch for. Copyright and trademarks, therefore, lie on two separate planes. A trademark policy intends to ensure that trademarks are used only in ways that make it clear to the general public that products and services come from and are approved by the project. Forks must avoid confusion. To protect the value of the trademark to identify official products and services (this is called “distinctiveness”), we must be strict on what is permitted and what is not, as this Policy will inform you about.
1. General rule of use
Certain activities are permitted to everyone in good faith and need no permission or special relationship with Grist Labs. You may:
- Use Grist Trademarks to truthfully refer to and/or link to unmodified Grist programs, products, services, and technologies.
- Use Grist Trademarks in visuals to truthfully refer to, discuss, and/or link to the applicable programs, products, services, and technologies hosted on Grist servers, as long as you do it in a way that does not suggest or imply affiliation or endorsement.
- Use Grist word marks to explain that your software is based on Grist’s open source code, or is compatible with Grist’s software.
- Grist users also can, and are encouraged to mention the Trademarks in blog posts, issue trackers, documentation, and other descriptive contexts.
You may not use the Trademarks in any manner that suggests a false affiliation with Grist Labs Inc, sponsorship, endorsement, or partnership with us unless you have received prior, express written authorization.
2. Distribution and use restrictions
In line with the practices of major open source projects, the following restrictions apply.
A. Modified Versions of the Software
No Trademark use on modified code.
“Modify” or “modification” means to alter any of:
- the source code (creating forks, applying patches, or structural changes to the Grist codebase), or
- the way we “package” the resulting software, including by substantially altering our advised configuration.
Artifacts created via such modifications cannot be distributed under our Trademarks or logos.
Action required:
In case you want to distribute modified versions of Grist, you must:
- Remove all of our Trademarks, logos, and brand names from the UI, configuration files, and marketing material, except where an underlying open source license requires preservation.
- Adopt a unique name that does not cause confusion with the official product. Attribution in copyright notices remains mandatory. An example of notice can be: “This product is based on Grist. Grist is a trademark of Grist Labs Inc.”
Request-permission (optional waiver): If you wish to reuse any of our Trademarks on a derivative product, submit a written request to trademarks@getgrist.com describing the proposed use. We aim to respond within 30 days. Approval is granted at our sole discretion and may be subject to additional branding guidelines.
B. Trademark Applied To Unmodified Grist
You may distribute reasonably current official packages of Grist, as long as they are strictly not modified; see point A. You must include all attribution-relevant files and the documentation, and make it clear that this is not an officially endorsed distribution. A mention of the official website of Grist is required.
C. System Integrators and Resellers
No Trademark usage for non‑partner system integrators.
This section is solely directed to system integrators, IT consultants, and in general those who wish to offer Grist as an advertised part or target of their services — and not simply as a standalone Open Source product offered for convenience. They are required to join our official Partnership Program and accept the Brand-Guidelines Addendum to be able to use our Trademarks. Those who are not part of the Program may not distribute nor resell any product — including a standalone Grist or Grist integrated into other larger works — under our Trademarks, nor may they use our Trademarks to market installation, configuration, or support services of any kind.
Action required for unaffiliated integrators:
Use purely descriptive, nominative language only. Do not present yourself as an authorized reseller or service provider. For example: “Our product XYZ includes code originally developed by Grist Labs and available at […]; we are not affiliated with or authorized resellers of Grist. Grist and related trademarks are the property of Grist Labs, Inc.” Do not use Grist Trademarks in commercial advertisements or in any way that uses Grist and its Trademarks to attract business or extract attention.
D. Domain names and other similar signs
The word “grist”, in whole or in any substantially similar form (including but not limited to grist‑*, ‑grist, grist, grist), may not be used in:
- Internet domain names (e.g., grist‑cloud.com, mygrist.io)
- Social media, forum, or messaging handles (e.g., @grist‑support, grist‑dev)
- Email addresses, usernames, or any other publicly visible identifier that could be interpreted as being affiliated with, endorsed by, or a part of the official Grist product line
as long as they are used for promoting software and services that are directly competing, even partially, with Grist Labs’.
3. Permitted uses (fair use)
Under most laws, you may use our product name without prior written consent for non‑commercial, descriptive purposes. Common examples include:
| Use case | Attribution requirement |
|---|---|
| Blog posts, forums, social media, technical articles | Include a link to the official website (https://getgrist.com) |
| Bug reports or contributions to the open source community | No additional attribution needed beyond the issue tracker’s standard format |
| Compatibility statements (e.g., “This plugin works with Grist”) | Include a link to the official website |
This does not imply a license for the uses above, only guidance on our interpretation of applicable law under statutory provisions. Any use of Trademarks must acknowledge that they are the property of Grist Labs in plain language.
Note: All permitted uses must avoid any implication that the user is an authorized partner, reseller, or endorsed by Grist.
4. Violations and enforcement
Unauthorized use of our Trademarks in violation of this Policy constitutes an infringement of intellectual property rights and may result in legal action.
- Reporting: If you discover any unauthorized or misleading use of our Trademarks on marketplaces, in marketing material, or by uncertified system integrators, please report it immediately to support@getgrist.com: include the offending site’s URL and any additional context that might be of use.
- Enforcement process: Upon receipt of a report, we will (i) verify the claim, (ii) notify the alleged infringer, and (iii) decide what is the most appropriate remedial action, depending on the severity and good‑faith nature of the violation.
5. Organizations licensed to use Grist Trademarks
The following organizations have been licensed to use Grist Trademarks through a License Agreement:
- DINUM, to use the Grist name and logo, and to modify the logo’s colors, for offering Grist as part of the LaSuite Numerique.
- Grist partners listed on the program page.
Version History
| Version | Date | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.0 | 2026-06-29 | Added nominative fair-use, request-permission process, marketplace clarification, partnership-program definition, attribution requirement, contact email, version-history table. |
We may update this policy occasionally. Changes that permit previously prohibited actions take effect immediately. Changes that restrict previously allowed or debatable activities take effect three months after publication.
Open Source Licenses of Grist
The software platform referenced in this Policy is released under certain open source and other licenses (all of which are compatible with the trademark restrictions above).
This policy is licensed under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
These FAQs are meant to clarify the rules and what is permitted and what is not.
Where can I find the official trademarks?
You’ll find the official logos and style guides on the trademark assets page.
I am a fan of your project, and I want to promote its use: can I create web pages, events, meetups, and documentation?
Yes, certain uses that go beyond purely descriptive uses are expressly permitted. As long as you carefully avoid giving the impression that these are endorsed, sponsored, or come from Grist Labs, you can use both the name and the logo, including in promotional material that also promotes Grist. This permission is only given if the intent and result of these initiatives are promotional of Grist and/or for dispassionate discussion purposes only. This includes tutorials and product discussion, such as YouTube videos or blog posts. No such permission is, however, given for disparaging uses, libels, or intentionally defamatory content, or to promote competing products.
WHEN DO I NEED WRITTEN PERMISSION TO USE GRIST TRADEMARKS?
Unless you stay within the nominative fair‑use limits or use the Trademarks for promotional or fair and dispassionate purposes only as discussed earlier, you need written permission from Grist Labs. You can retain trademarks to Unmodified versions of Grist, as explained under Section 2.B.
Can I fork Grist and publish it on GitHub?
Yes. However, as far as Trademarks are concerned, you must remove all Grist Trademarks from your fork and use a different name to avoid confusion with the official project. Attribution in copyright notices remains mandatory.
Can I call my fork “Grist Modified” or “Grist Plus”?
No. Using a name containing “Grist” may imply affiliation or endorsement. Choose a distinctive name for your variant and refer to Grist descriptively only (e.g., “based on Grist code”) but not as part of the name of the fork.
Can I modify the code and reuse Grist Trademarks?
No, you may not reuse Grist Trademarks on modified code. You must remove all Trademarks and adopt a unique name for your derivative work. This is required in addition to any copyright notices or attribution obligations that may apply. If you submit a patch or feature or pull request to the official Grist repository, however, and only in such context, you may use the Trademarks as if that patch or pull request was officially part of the code base. This also applies to mirrors and GitHub forks whose scope is to independently contribute to Grist, but that do not host or propose non-official builds, versions, plug-ins.
Can I package Grist and sell it on a marketplace (e.g., AWS Marketplace)?
Only Grist Labs and its approved Partners can sell Grist. You can re-distribute the official Grist build on a marketplace, as long as the software is exactly as we package and distribute it from Grist’s official release channels. For example, you can package the official Grist builds so that the software can be made available on self-hosting distributions like Yunohost, Cloudron, Elestio and similar marketplaces. However, we might discontinue certain versions and/or mark them as end-of-life: in such case, you must cease any distribution of these versions.
I’m a hosting/IaaS provider: Can I package Grist to run on my infrastructure so my clients can deploy it?
If you’re not modifying Grist while you’re building your deployment packages, you can distribute Grist for your customers’ convenience. You need to follow the instructions of point C. Actions requirered for unaffiliated integrators.
Can I keep a copy of Grist code in my archive for historic preservation?
Yes, uses of the Trademarks akin to the ones by the Software Heritage project for cultural historic preservation of our codebase are permitted and welcome.
Can I provide services related to Grist (consulting, support, training)?
You surely can provide services related to Grist and describe your services. However, you cannot use the Grist logo or names to market your services unless you are an official partner. If you want to position yourself as an official partner or reseller, join the official Partners Program.
What attribution requirements apply?
All uses must acknowledge that Trademarks are the property of Grist Labs in plain language in a sufficiently clear way that a reasonable person would be informed of it. An example of notice can be: “This product is based on Grist. Grist is a trademark of Grist Labs Inc. ” For specific cases (blog posts, compatibility statements), include a link to the official website getgrist.com.
Can I use the name “Grist” in domain names or social media handles?
No. Do not use “grist” or substantially similar forms in internet domain names (e.g., grist‑cloud.com, mygrist.io), social media handles (@grist‑support), email addresses, or usernames that could be interpreted as affiliation with Grist. As an exception, you may use names that only suggest your support to the project, such as @grist-fandom, @grist-aholic, @embracersofgrist.
What happens if I violate this policy?
We may issue a cease‑and‑desist request or pursue other legal remedies for infringement. If you have questions about permitted use, please contact trademarks@getgrist.com.
