Sui Trademark Protection: A Collective Effort
The Sui trademark policy shows examples of proper and improper use of Sui logos and brand assets.
Sui community members can help protect the network's credibility by reporting improper uses of Sui's trademark and brand assets. The Sui trademark policy explains acceptable and unacceptable uses of the logo and name. These assets represent Sui to the public, and proper use of them by good actors helps maintain Sui's reputation.
The Sui community, including builders, operators, and users, all benefit when the network enjoys good standing amongst the public. The more good actors on the network, the more people will trust it and spend time using its apps. However, if people get burned by scams the community suffers. Scammers commonly misuse trademarks to confuse the public and convince them their apps can be trusted. The Sui community can help make Sui a more trusted environment through proper use of Sui trademarks and reporting scammers.
Sui's trademarks
The Sui Foundation owns various trademarks representing the Sui network. These include the name "Sui", as it refers to the blockchain technology, the Sui droplet image, and the Sui logo. When used properly, trademarks let people know they are dealing with the legitimate entity represented by the trademark. For example, when someone sees the Burger King logo on a building, they know the food served there will be what they expect from a legitimate Burger King franchise.
The Sui website uses Sui logos extensively as a means of letting people who view the site know the information there comes from a legitimate source. Similarly, the Sui documentation site uses the logo to show builders they are viewing legitimate coding samples and instructions.
When builders use the Sui logo to indicate where they built their projects, the Sui Foundation expects they are honestly representing their association with Sui. It is also expected they will act in good faith when it comes to their users.
Scammers may try a number of tricks to access a user's information or assets, and many tricks begin with gaining the user's trust. Because Sui employs cutting edge security, making direct hacking attacks difficult, scammers may employ social engineering, getting a user to hand over digital assets or personal information that can be exploited. By misusing Sui's trademarks, a scammers can more convincingly prey on a user and represent their project as legitimate. If users get scammed on Sui, the entire network's reputation suffers. Users may begin to assume that Sui is not a safe environment and avoid it, diminishing traffic to all the great projects on the network.
The good fight
The Sui Foundation takes an active role in combating misuse of Sui trademarks and shutting down scams. Beyond direct enforcement, including reporting bad actors to social media platforms and issuing cease and desist letters, the Foundation engages in community outreach, educating the community on proper trademark use and how they can assist in protecting Sui's reputation.
The Sui community can assist in this effort by reporting misuses of the Sui trademarks or other deceptive practices on the Sui Foundation security issue reporting form.