# Legal Notice

## License

The theSVG codebase (website, build tools, npm packages, CLI, API, and MCP server) is licensed under the [MIT License](./LICENSE).

## Brand Icons and Trademarks

All brand names, logos, and trademarks included in this library are the property of their respective owners. theSVG is **not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by** any of the companies or organizations whose brand icons appear here.

Brand icons are provided for **identification and development purposes only**, consistent with nominative fair use of trademarks. This is the same legal basis used by established icon libraries such as Simple Icons, Font Awesome (brand icons), and svgl.

### What this means for users

- You may use these icons to **identify a brand** in your projects (e.g., a "Login with GitHub" button)
- You **must comply** with each brand's official usage guidelines when using their logo
- theSVG does **not grant trademark rights** - those remain with the brand owner
- When in doubt, download official assets from the brand's press kit or media page

### Per-icon license metadata

Every icon in our library includes a `license` field in its metadata. Common values:

| License | Meaning |
|---------|---------|
| `CC0-1.0` | Public domain dedication, no restrictions |
| `MIT` | Permissive, attribution required |
| `Apache-2.0` | Permissive, attribution + patent grant |
| `Fair Use` | No explicit open license found; included under nominative fair use for brand identification |
| `Proprietary` | Brand owns all rights; use only for identification |

Icons marked `Fair Use` or `Proprietary` should be used with extra care. Review the brand's guidelines before using in production.

### Brand guidelines

Where available, we link to official brand guidelines on each icon's detail page. Currently 869 of 4,000+ icons have verified guideline links. We are actively expanding this coverage.

## Takedown and Removal

We respect intellectual property rights. If you are a brand owner or authorized representative:

- **Request removal**: [Open an issue](https://github.com/glincker/thesvg/issues/new?template=icon_removal.yml) or email [support@glincker.com](mailto:support@glincker.com)
- **Update your icon**: Submit the correct version via issue or pull request
- **Add usage guidelines**: Let us know your guidelines URL and we will link to it

**Response time**: We acknowledge requests within 48 hours and process removals within 24 hours.

### DMCA Process

For copyright infringement claims under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act:

1. Send a written notice to **support@glincker.com** identifying the copyrighted material, your contact information, and a statement that you are the rights holder or authorized agent
2. We will acknowledge receipt within 48 hours
3. Infringing material will be removed within 24 hours of verification

## Prior Art

Distributing brand icons under nominative fair use is established practice in the open-source ecosystem:

- [Simple Icons](https://simpleicons.org/) - 3,400+ brand icons under CC0
- [Font Awesome](https://fontawesome.com/) - brand icons included in their icon set
- [svgl](https://svgl.app/) - 600+ brand SVGs under MIT
- [Devicon](https://devicon.dev/) - developer brand icons under MIT

## Contributors

By contributing to theSVG, you agree that:

- Your contributions to the codebase are licensed under [MIT](./LICENSE)
- You will only submit official brand assets, not fan-made or modified logos
- You have reviewed the brand's public guidelines where available

See [CONTRIBUTING.md](./CONTRIBUTING.md) for full contribution guidelines and [TRADEMARK.md](./TRADEMARK.md) for our trademark policy.