Effective Date: 21 August 2024
1. Introduction
Ancestry.com Operations Inc. and its affiliated companies (collectively, “Ancestry”) respect the intellectual property rights of others and expect the same in return. The brand names owned by Ancestry, such as Ancestry, AncestryDNA, Newspapers.com, Find a Grave, Fold3, Forces War Records, Archives, Geneanet, and WeRemember (“Ancestry Brand Names”), along with all other trademarks, service marks, logos, trade names, trade dress, app and product icons, and other brand assets owned by Ancestry (collectively with the Ancestry Brand Names, the “Ancestry Trademarks”) are valuable assets which Ancestry has invested significant time and resources to protect. The proper, consistent use of Ancestry Trademarks helps people easily recognize references to Ancestry and protects the goodwill they represent.
These Trademark Usage Guidelines (“Guidelines”) ensure proper use of Ancestry Trademarks by our partners, customers, and others. Unless you already have a written agreement with Ancestry granting an express license to use Ancestry Trademarks, these Guidelines will govern your use.
The use of Ancestry Trademarks without Ancestry’s express written permission is prohibited, and except for the limited rights to use Ancestry Brand Names as specifically set forth in these Guidelines, no other rights of any kind are granted hereunder, by implication or otherwise. Any goodwill that may be derived from using an Ancestry Trademark exclusively inures to the benefit of, and belongs to, Ancestry.
2. Basic Trademark Rules
In general, a trademark is any word, name, symbol or device (or any combination thereof) that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods or services sold by one party from those sold by others. Trademarks help businesses build a reputation in the market for their products and services, and for consumers, trademarks signal the source of what they're buying, allowing them to make informed choices based on their experiences. You should follow the basic rules for proper trademark use, and all permissible uses of Ancestry Trademarks under these Guidelines are subject to these basic rules. Various Ancestry Trademarks are used in the examples below to help illustrate some of the basic trademark rules.
- Trademarks are proper adjectives—not nouns, not verbs—that identify the source of a product or service, and when used correctly, trademarks should be followed by a generic term for the product or service they represent.
- Correct:
- My AncestryDNA test results uncovered my global origins and heritage.
- Incorrect:
-
I uncovered my global origins and heritage using AncestryDNA.
What’s wrong with this? The AncestryDNA trademark is misused as a noun (the tool used) instead of accurately reflecting its role as a brand to identify the specific genetic testing service used.
- Incorrect:
-
AncestryDNA connects you with people who share your DNA.
What’s wrong with this? The AncestryDNA trademark is not clearly being used as a source identifier. It is being improperly used as a noun.
- Trademarks should be capitalized and used in their correct form. You should never shorten, abbreviate, or add or remove spaces within a trademark. The correct form of Ancestry Trademarks is provided in the List of Ancestry Trademarks that accompanies these Guidelines.
- Correct:
- The SideView technology provides additional insights into your AncestryDNA results, showing you which parts were inherited from each parent.
- Incorrect:
-
The side view technology provides additional insights into your Ancestry DNA results, showing you which parts were inherited from each parent.
What’s wrong with this? The SideView trademark was not capitalized properly, and spaces were improperly added within both the SideView and AncestryDNA trademarks.
- Trademarks should never be used in possessive form.
- Correct:
- The record collections available on the Fold3 website are extensive.
- Incorrect:
-
Fold3’s website has extensive record collections.
What’s wrong with this? The Fold3 trademark became possessive. A trademark functions like an adjective to identify the source of a product or service, and trademarks—just like adjectives (like “red” or “big”)—cannot “own” something.
- Trademarks should never be changed from their defined singular or plural form.
- Correct:
- One ThruLines result suggests Jane Doe could be my great grandmother.
- Incorrect:
-
One ThruLine result suggests Jane Doe could be my great grandmother.
What’s wrong with this? The Thrulines trademark was changed from its defined form, “ThruLines,” to the singular “ThruLine.” Trademarks, when used correctly, function as proper adjectives. This means they should not be modified for singular or plural use—it's the noun they describe that should reflect quantity.
3. Prohibited Uses of Ancestry Trademarks
3.1 Use of Ancestry Trademarks Without Written Permission
Other than the limited use rights specifically set forth by these Guidelines, you may not use any of the Ancestry Trademarks without first obtaining Ancestry’s written permission.
3.2 Implied Sponsorship, Affiliation, or Endorsement
You may not use any Ancestry Trademarks to refer to your, or your company’s, products or services or to imply sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement by Ancestry. It is impermissible to register (or attempt to register) or use a company name, domain name, or social media account, username, page, group, or handle that uses or incorporates any Ancestry Trademark in a way that is likely to confuse the public as to whether a website, page, or account is affiliated with or sponsored by Ancestry.
3.3 Trade Dress
You may not copy or imitate any Ancestry trade dress, the “look and feel,” or other identifiable and unique visual elements of the Ancestry Trademarks, the Ancestry website, or the Ancestry mobile application, including the color combinations, graphics, layouts, typefaces, or stylization used therewith.
3.4 Confusing Similarity
You may not adopt any trademarks, logos, or any other features that are confusingly similar to any Ancestry Trademark, and you may not market any product or service under a name that is confusingly similar to Ancestry products or services.
3.5 Alterations or Combinations
You may not alter, animate, crop, or distort any Ancestry Trademark or combine them with other terms or trademarks or incorporate them into a tagline, slogan, or design.
3.6 Disparaging, Unlawful, or Illegal Activity
You must not use Ancestry Trademarks in any manner that violates any law or regulation. Further, you must not use Ancestry Trademarks in relation to products or services or on websites that may be considered sexually explicit, vulgar, profane, obscene, or that is religiously or racially offensive, promoting hate towards individuals or groups, or is otherwise objectionable or disparaging of Ancestry or any Ancestry Trademark, as determined by Ancestry in its sole discretion.
4. Permissible Uses of Ancestry Brand Names
4.1 Referring to Ancestry’s Products or Services
You may use the Ancestry Brand Names to truthfully and accurately convey information about Ancestry products and services or to refer to a particular Ancestry product or service so long as your use does not imply sponsorship, affiliation, or endorsement by Ancestry where none exists. This permissible use does not extend to other Ancestry Trademarks (e.g., logos, taglines, or designs), which may only be used with an express license from Ancestry.
4.2 Authorized Partners
If you are an authorized partner or affiliate of Ancestry, you may use the Ancestry Brand Names in promotional, sales, and advertising materials to refer to the Ancestry goods and services as set forth in your agreement with Ancestry. If your agreement does not provide usage guidelines, follow these Guidelines. Ancestry may withdraw or amend your use rights if you fail to follow these Guidelines or if, in Ancestry’s sole discretion, it deems that your use may have a detrimental effect on the Ancestry brand.
By using any Ancestry Trademark, including any Ancestry Brand Name, you are acknowledging that Ancestry is the sole owner of it and are promising that you will not interfere with Ancestry’s rights therein, including challenging Ancestry’s use, registration of, or application to register the same, alone or in combination with other words or designs, anywhere in the world, and that you will not harm, misuse, or bring into disrepute Ancestry or any Ancestry Trademark.
4.3 News or Investor Articles
You may use the Ancestry Brand Names in the title of news articles, when such use is a proper trademark use and is truthful and not misleading. If you are using “Ancestry” to refer to the company that operates the Ancestry website and affiliated goods and services, you are using it as a trade name. Trade names are the actual business names of companies. Trademarks and trade names are not the same, even though many companies use their trade names as trademarks. Trade names are proper nouns. When referring to the company in the trade name context, the proper name is “Ancestry”—not “Ancestry.com”—for most everyday references or “Ancestry and its affiliated entities” when providing an attribution statement for any of the Ancestry Trademarks.
In the context of news or investor articles, you may include the appropriate logo available through our Logo Library in close proximity to use of the trade name. These logos are intended for press and media use only, and other than resizing, any modification or alteration of these resources is strictly prohibited.
4.4 Presentations, Seminars, and Conferences
Ancestry Brand Names may be used in the titles of presentations, seminars, and conferences that provide in-depth training on Ancestry products or technology beyond that available from Ancestry reference materials. Presenters and hosts of such conferences or seminars do not need to obtain further permission from Ancestry if the use of Ancestry Brand Names complies with these Guidelines and all of the following requirements:
- The presentation or seminar title and your name or logo are displayed more prominently than the Ancestry Brand Names on the cover of the presentation or seminar and in all materials related to the presentation, seminar, or conference.
- The Ancestry Brand Names are not used in the stylized form used by Ancestry but appear in the same format as surrounding text. No Ancestry logos, taglines, or designs may be used in any materials related to the conference, presentation, or seminar without express written permission from Ancestry.
- The presentation, seminar, or conference materials do not copy or imitate any Ancestry trade dress, the “look and feel,” or other identifiable and unique visual elements of Ancestry Trademarks, the Ancestry website, or the Ancestry mobile application, including the color combinations, graphics, layouts, typefaces, or stylization used therewith.
- The Ancestry Brand Names must be spelled and capitalized exactly as they appear in the List of Ancestry Trademarks provided with these Guidelines.
- You must include the following attribution statement and conspicuous disclaimer in the materials or website associated with your presentation, conference, or seminar:
“[Name the Ancestry Brand Name being used] is a trademark of Ancestry and its affiliated entities and [title of presentation, seminar, or conference] is not sponsored, affiliated, endorsed, or otherwise associated with or by Ancestry and its affiliated entities.”
5. Trademark Notice Symbols and Attribution
With the exception of the Ancestry wordmark, marking Ancestry Trademarks with a ® or ™ symbol is no longer required. These trademark notice symbols should only be used with the Ancestry wordmark and only when the Ancestry wordmark is used in reference to the associated goods and services and not to the company name/trade name.
When using any of the Ancestry Brand Names in published materials, please include an attribution statement within the credit notice section of the materials (e.g. adjacent to the copyright notice at the end of a document, on the copyright page of a book or manual, or on the legal information page of a website). The attribution statement should be in the following format: “[Name the Ancestry Brand Name being used] is a trademark of Ancestry and its affiliated entities.”
If it is not feasible to include the attribution statement, you may use a general-purpose attribution statement such as this: “All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.”
6. Questions, Requests, or Reports of Unauthorized Uses
If you have any questions, would like to request permission to use Ancestry Trademarks, or would like to report improper or unauthorized uses of Ancestry Trademarks, please contact us at [email protected].
List of Ancestry Trademarks
(last updated June 14, 2024)
The following is a non-exhaustive list of trademarks owned by Ancestry. Ancestry may also have common law rights in trademarks that are not listed below, and the absence of a product or service name or logo from this list does not constitute a waiver of any trademark or other intellectual property rights Ancestry may have concerning that name or logo.
| Ancestry Trademark | Drawing (logos only) |
|---|---|
| 2 Lies & a Leaf | |
| Ancestry | |
| Ancestry logo |  |
| Ancestry Day | |
| Ancestry Hints | |
| Ancestry Studios | |
| Ancestry.ca logo |  |
| Ancestry.co.uk | |
| Ancestry.com.au | |
| Ancestry.com | |
| Ancestry.com logo |  |
| Ancestry acorn leaf logo |  |
| AncestryAcademy logo |  |
| AncestryClassroom | |
| AncestryDNA | |
| AncestryDNA logo |  |
| AncestryDNA Plus | |
| AncestryK12 | |
| AncestryLibrary | |
| AncestryProGenealogists | |
| Archives | |
| Discover Your Story | |
| DU BIST DEINE GESCHICHTE | |
| familytree.com logo |  |
| Find a Grave | |
| Fold3 | |
| fold3 chevron logo |  |
| fold3 WARSTORIES logo |  |
| Genealogy.com | |
| Genealogy.com logo |  |
| Geneanet | |
| Genetic Communities | |
| GeneWeb | |
| Genline FamilyFinder | |
| genline Släktforskning på Internet logo |  |
| Hints | |
| Historical Insights | |
| It’s a Family Thing | |
| Kidsplaining | |
| Know Your Pet DNA | |
| Know Your Pet DNA logo |  |
| Leaf outline logo |  |
| My Place in History | |
| MyTreeTags | |
| Newspapers.com stylized N logo |  |
| Photolines | |
| ProGenealogists | |
| Publisher Extra | |
| Questions and Ancestors | |
| rootsweb | |
| rootsweb logo |  |
| SideView | |
| StoryScout | |
| ThruLines | |
| unFamiliar | |
| We Make History | |
| We Remember | |
| We’re Related | |
| Where your story grows | |