How to Trademark Your Logo for a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)

If you want your logo to appear next to your emails with a Verified Mark Certificate, one of the core prerequisites is that your logo must be a registered trademark.

This guide walks through what qualifies as an acceptable trademark, how to register your logo correctly, and what to prepare before submitting VMC validation.

Why Trademarking Your Logo is Required for a VMC Certificate

A Verified Mark Certificate allows a registered logo next to authenticated emails in supported inboxes such as Gmail and Apple Mail. The certificate is issued against a logo that has an active, fully registered trademark.

Trademark registration establishes legal ownership through a recognized intellectual property office. During VMC issuance, the Certificate Authority verifies that ownership directly in the official trademark database and confirms that the submitted logo matches the registered design.

From an enforcement standpoint, this makes sense. This requirement exists to prevent logo spoofing within the BIMI framework. Inbox logo display creates a visual trust signal, and in supported environments like Gmail it also includes the verified blue checkmark. Without trademark validation, anyone could upload a polished logo and claim it.

Registering the logo ties it to a legal entity. That connection is what allows mailbox providers to display it with confidence inside the inbox.

What Kind of Trademark is Acceptable for VMC?

For VMC eligibility, the trademark must meet all of the following conditions:

Fully registered and active – The trademark must be granted, not pending. It must show a live registration number and active status in the official database. Applications under review or abandoned filings do not qualify.

Issued by a recognized IP authority – The registration must come from an approved national or regional intellectual property office accepted under VMC guidelines. Private registries or unofficial listings are not valid.

Publicly searchable record – The trademark must be accessible in a searchable public database so the Certificate Authority can independently confirm ownership and status without relying on documents you provide.

Exact logo match – The logo registered with the IP office must match the logo submitted for VMC. A word mark does not automatically cover a stylized design. If the visual elements differ, validation fails.

Government mark exception – Public-sector organizations may qualify using officially recognized seals or emblems, provided their legal status can be confirmed through authoritative records.

Anything informal, assumed ownership, or internal brand usage does not meet VMC requirements.

Trademark Offices Accepted for VMC

VMC validation does not accept trademarks from just any registry. The logo must be registered with one of the intellectual property offices currently recognized under the VMC guidelines.

One valid, active registration from any of the approved offices is sufficient. It does not matter where your company operates globally, you just need a trademark in the database of an accepted authority and can be independently verified.

The following offices are currently recognized:

• United States Patent and Trademark Office
• Canadian Intellectual Property Office
• European Union Intellectual Property Office
• UK Intellectual Property Office
• Deutsches Patent- und Markenamt
• Japan Trademark Office
• Spanish Patent and Trademark Office O.A.
• IP Australia
• Korean Intellectual Property Office
• Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial
• Intellectual Property India
• Danish Patent and Trademark Office
• French Patent and Trademark Office
• Benelux Organization for Intellectual Property
• Denmark Ministry of Culture
• Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand
• Swedish Intellectual Property Office
• Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property

Before starting a VMC request, confirm the registration authority. If the trademark does not originate from one of these offices, the certificate will not be issued.

How to Check if Your Logo is Already Trademarked

Start checking internally, ask your legal or compliance team for the trademark registration number and jurisdiction. Do not rely on brand guidelines or marketing decks.

If you need to confirm it yourself, search the public trademark database of the relevant IP office. For international checks, use the database maintained by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Locate the exact logo record, review the status, and confirm it shows as registered and active.

Verify three things:

• Registration status is active
• The owner name matches your legal entity
• The logo in the record matches what you plan to submit for VMC

If any of those fail, fix that before starting the certificate request.

Step-by-Step: How to Trademark Your Logo

1. Ensure Your Logo Is Eligible

   The logo must be distinctive and used to identify your goods or services. Generic icons, common shapes, or simple decorative graphics often fail examination. If the mark is only text, confirm whether you are filing it as a word mark or a stylized logo. That distinction affects what is protected and what will later appear in the trademark record reviewed during VMC validation.

2. Select the Issuing Authority

   The trademark must be registered through an official national or regional IP office accepted under VMC guidelines. The issuing authority must be one of the recognized offices. Most companies apply in the country where the legal entity operates or where the brand is commercially active.

3. Conduct a Trademark Search

   Search the official database of the IP office where you plan to apply. Look for identical or confusingly similar logos within the same class of goods or services. Conflicts in the same industry are the usual reason applications face refusal.

4. File the Trademark Application

   Submit the application through a recognized IP office, depending on jurisdiction. Upload the exact logo image, accurate business details, correct classes and pay the filing fees required for each class.

5. Respond to Examiner Requests

   After filing, an examiner reviews the application. You may receive office actions raising objections. Respond within the stated deadline or the application will be abandoned.

6. Receive Registration Certificate

   Once approved, the IP office issues a registration number or certificate. Only then is the logo fully registered and eligible for VMC validation.

After Trademark Registration: Next Steps for VMC

• Confirm the trademark status shows registered and active in the official IP office database. The record must be publicly searchable.
• Keep a copy of the registration certificate and registration number accessible. The Certificate Authority will verify ownership details against the official record.
• Use the exact logo version that appears in the trademark registration. Make sure the logo design submitted for VMC must match the registered mark.
• Convert the approved logo into SVG Tiny PS format. BIMI display requires this specific format, the file must be clean and free of unsupported elements.
• Host the SVG file on a secure HTTPS domain under your control. Public access is required for mailbox provider retrieval.
• Ensure your domain has DMARC configured with a policy set to quarantine or reject. Mailbox providers check this before displaying a verified logo.
• Once all these steps are done, submit the VMC request through an approved Certificate Authority such as DigiCert. The CA validates trademark ownership, logo consistency, and technical prerequisites before issuance.

Conclusion

Trademark registration drives VMC eligibility. Without an active logo registration from a recognized intellectual property office, a Verified Mark Certificate will not be issued. Trademark timelines run longer, examiner reviews, office actions, and publication periods add months. Start the filing early, maintain an accurate, active record. The VMC issuance depends on the strength and status of that trademark.

Related Posts:

• Why Every Brand Should Consider a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)
• Why Your BIMI Logo Isn’t Showing: Common Causes & Fixes
• How Verified Mark Certificates Improve Email Security and Brand Recognition