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Vector Privacy Trademark Policy

Vector is free and open-source software, released under the MIT License. That license gives you broad rights to use, copy, modify, and redistribute the source code. It does not, and cannot, grant rights to the Vector Privacy name, logo, or brand identity.

This document explains the difference, and sets out how you may and may not use the Vector Privacy brand. It is written to be permissive. The goal is not to restrict the community, it is to make sure that when someone sees the Vector name, they know where the software actually came from.

The Vector Marks

The following are trademarks of Formless Labs, whether registered or unregistered:

  • Vector, as the name of the messenger and the project
  • Vector Privacy
  • Vector Messenger
  • The Vector logo and wordmark
  • Concord and Concord Protocol
  • Vector Hub
  • Vector SDK
  • The Vector visual identity, including its color palette, iconography, and interface design language

These are referred to below as the "Vector Marks."

What This Policy Does Not Do

This policy places no restrictions whatsoever on the MIT-licensed source code. You may:

  • Fork the repository
  • Modify the source however you like
  • Build and run your own version
  • Distribute your build, including commercially
  • Study, audit, and publish findings about the code

Nothing in this document limits any right the MIT License grants you over the code itself. Trademark and copyright are separate bodies of law, and this policy concerns only the former.

Uses That Need No Permission

You do not need to ask us for any of the following:

Referring to Vector. Naming Vector in articles, reviews, tutorials, comparisons, academic papers, talks, and social media posts. This includes critical coverage. We would rather you write honestly about Vector than write about it with our approval.

Describing compatibility. Stating truthfully that your software works with Vector. "A relay tested with Vector," "Concord-compatible," "bridges Vector to IRC," and similar phrasing are all fine.

Unmodified redistribution. Distributing official, unmodified Vector builds under the Vector Privacy name, including mirroring releases or packaging them for a distribution's repositories.

Linking. Using the Vector logo as a link back to an official Vector site or repository.

Fair use. Anything that qualifies as nominative or descriptive fair use under applicable law, which generally covers the cases above and more.

Uses That Need Permission

Please ask before doing any of the following:

Leading with the mark. Naming your project so that a Vector Mark comes first or dominates. "Vector Bridge" reads like an official Vector product. "IRC Bridge for Vector" does not. Use the second shape.

Shipping modified builds under the Vector Privacy name. If you have changed the code, the build is no longer Vector. Give it your own name. See Forks below.

Using the logo as your own identity. The Vector logo should not appear as the icon, avatar, or primary branding of your project, app, service, or organization.

Merchandise. Producing physical or digital goods bearing the Vector Marks for sale.

Domain names and account handles. Registering domains, social accounts, or package names that lead with a Vector Mark in a way that suggests an official channel.

Implying endorsement. Describing anything as "official," "certified," "approved," "partnered," or "verified" in relation to Vector without a written agreement from us.

Forks

Forking is explicitly welcome. It is one of the reasons Vector is MIT-licensed.

If you publish a fork, please:

  1. Give it a different name. Not one that a reasonable person would mistake for Vector, and not one that simply appends a word to "Vector."
  2. Use your own logo and branding. Replace the Vector logo and wordmark in the interface, in your release assets, and in your store listings.
  3. State the relationship honestly. Something like "based on Vector" or "a fork of Vector" in your README is accurate, useful to your users, and entirely permitted.
  4. Do not use our infrastructure branding. Do not present your fork as connecting to official Vector services, or use Vector's domains, support channels, or release channels as though they were yours.

We ask this for a practical reason: if a fork ships a security regression, or a malicious build circulates under our name, users have no way to tell the difference. Distinct names protect them and you as much as us.

Community Projects, Bots, and Plugins

Third-party bots, plugins, integrations, and tools built on Vector or the Vector SDK are a good thing, and we want them to exist. The naming rules are simple.

Package and repository names that use "vector" or "vector-sdk" as a plain descriptor of what your project integrates with are fine, even though Vector SDK is listed as a mark above. What matters is whether a reader would take your project for one of ours.

Fine without asking:

  • vector-sdk-examples
  • my-bot-for-vector
  • "A moderation bot for Vector communities"
  • awesome-vector style lists
  • A package name that includes "vector" as a descriptor of what it integrates with

Please ask first:

  • "Vector Bot," presented as though it were ours
  • "Official Vector Plugin"
  • Anything using the Vector logo as its own icon
  • A name that would plausibly be read as a first-party product

If you are unsure which side of the line your project sits on, ask. The answer is usually yes.

Attribution

If you use the Vector Marks under this policy, a short attribution is appreciated but not required:

Vector Privacy and the Vector logo are trademarks of Formless Labs.

Enforcement

Our first step is always a conversation. If we think a use is confusing, we will contact you and explain why, and in most cases a small change to a name or an icon resolves it. We are not interested in sending legal threats to people building useful things.

We reserve the right to enforce these marks where a use genuinely misleads users about the origin of software, particularly where security or user safety is at stake. Distributing modified or malicious builds under the Vector Privacy name is the case we care about, and the case this policy exists to address.

Changes to This Policy

This policy may be updated as the project grows. Changes will be published in this file, and its history is visible in the repository.

Questions

If you are unsure whether your use is permitted, please ask before you launch. It is far easier to adjust a name before release than after.

Contact: info@vectorapp.io

Vector Privacy and the Vector logo are trademarks of Formless Labs. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Last updated: September 2026