Legal

As a quick overview, the name Seventh-day Adventist represents the Seventh-day Adventist Church, its institutions and organizations, its local churches and its members. The name and the logo are trademarked and registered identities.

The registered trademark may be used by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, its entities, institutions (including churches and schools) as authorized by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, its divisions, unions and conferences.

Trademarks shall not be utilized in commercial endeavors, except as authorized by the General  Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.

All information on this Web site is copyrighted by the General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists®, a District of Columbia nonprofit corporation, or the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®, a Maryland unincorporated association (collectively, the “General Conference”). All rights are reserved. United States copyright law protects all materials contained on this site. By using this site, you acknowledge that the General Conference owns all intellectual property rights in and to the site and its contents and that these rights are valid and protected in all forms. You may not modify, remove, delete, augment, add to, exploit, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, and/or create derivative works from the content either in whole or in part.

The General Conference is providing this Web site for your information purposes only. Certain organizations may choose to link this Web site to their own Web site. Such linkage is not meant to imply that the General Conference agrees with, supports, or concurs with the content such Web sites may contain.

THE GENERAL CONFERENCE IS PROVIDING THIS SITE AND ITS CONTENTS “AS IS” WITHOUT ANY OBLIGATIONS, LIABILITIES, OR WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WHATSOEVER TO ANYONE WHO CHOOSES TO ACCESS THIS WEB SITE. EACH USER EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGES THAT USE OF THIS WEB SITE AND ITS CONTENTS IS AT THE USER’S SOLE RISK. THE GENERAL CONFERENCE DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THIS WEB SITE OR ANY OF ITS CONTENTS WILL BE CONTINUOUSLY AVAILABLE, ACCESSIBLE, NON-INFRINGING, OR FREE OF ERRORS OR VIRUSES, OR THAT THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN IT IS ACCURATE OR RELIABLE. THE GENERAL CONFERENCE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR INJURY (INCLUDING INDIRECT, SPECIAL, AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES) THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE ANY PART OF THE WEB SITE, OR FROM ANYTHING SUBMITTED OR POSTED BY USERS. THE TERMS OF THIS PARAGRAPH WILL SURVIVE ANY TERMINATION OF THIS NOTICE AND WEB SITE.

This site is created and controlled under the laws of the State of Maryland, which shall be the law giving effect to and interpretation of all terms and conditions hereunder.  Any action pertaining to this Web site shall be in the State of Maryland with Montgomery County the venue for such action.  Any person named a party to any action regarding this Web site agrees to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the State of Maryland and of the United States of America located in the State of Maryland.

The General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists® owns the trademarks for the names General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists®, Seventh-day Adventist® and Adventist®, as well as numerous other trademarks, including, but not limited to:

Names:

  • ADVENTIST NEWS NETWORK®
  • ADVENTIST REVIEW®
  • ADVENTIST WORLD RADIO®
  • AWR
  • HOPE CHANNEL
  • SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST®

Design:

  • ADRA
  • Adventist News Network
  • Adventist Risk Management
  • Adventist World Radio
  • Hope Channel
  • Pathfinder logo
  • Seventh-day Adventist

In addition to registration with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, registrations are also current or pending in various other jurisdictions. Use of trademarks owned by the General Conference shall be controlled by the General Conference and may not be used without permission. Church trademarks shall not be used in any manner that will jeopardize the Church’s tax-exempt status and shall not be utilized in commercial endeavors.

Full list of registered trademarks.

BA 40 Seventh-day Adventist Trademark Policy

BA 40 05 Statement of Philosophy—The Seventh-day Adventist Church has an historical, evangelical, and proprietary interest in trademarks, service marks, and trade names (referred to collectively herein as “trademarks”) developed by the Church and its related organizations. This policy shall apply to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, the world divisions and departments of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, and other services, organizations, and corporations listed as General Conference entities in the current Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook. This policy shall also apply to other Seventh-day Adventist entities, organizations, and individuals that wish to utilize trademarks owned or controlled by the General Conference. It shall be the policy of the General Conference to obtain maximum legal protection under applicable law in harmony with procedures and guidelines listed below. Organizations authorized to use trademarks shall include the appropriate indicia of ownership as permitted in their jurisdiction to attribute ownership of the trademarks. For instance, the ® should be used where registration is held and the ® correctly attributes that ownership registration.

BA 40 10 Ownership—All legal rights in any trademark utilized by the General Conference, as defined, shall be registered in the name of the General Conference Corporation with use by a related or subsidiary entity subject at all times to approval and review by the General Conference Corporation.

BA 40 15 Registration and Fees—Trademark registration in the United States on behalf of the General Conference Corporation shall be obtained through the General Conference Office of General Counsel pursuant to an enabling action of the General Conference Corporation. Legal fees and other expenses incidental to maximizing trademark protection shall be paid in full by any department, subsidiary, or related organization of the General Conference initiating the process or utilizing the trademark with the understanding that ownership at all times shall be vested in the General Conference Corporation. Any denominational entity wishing to register any General Conference trademarks shall consult and coordinate with the General Conference Office of General Counsel prior to any registration of any such marks outside of the United States.

BA 40 25 Unauthorized Use—It shall be the responsibility of the divisions to monitor and review any unauthorized use of trademarks registered in the name of the General Conference Corporation. In the event that a registered trademark or name is being used without authority, the division shall initiate the Trademark Protection Procedures outlined in BA 40 50 in order to protect the proprietary interests of the Church as well as its good name. Approval by the General Conference Corporation shall be obtained prior to the commencement of any legal action.

BA 40 30 Other Trademarks—Seventh-day Adventist entities other than the General Conference shall be entitled to maintain trademark ownership and registration for various marks in their own names so long as such application, ownership, and use do not conflict with General Conference-owned trademarks, legal rights, or policy of the General Conference. By action of their governing board, they may determine policies for the use of those marks by other denominational entities. The General Conference Office of General Counsel shall provide assistance and direction to non-General Conference entities as necessary.

BA 40 37 Use of Trademarks Owned by Other Denominational Entities—If a denominational entity wishes to use a trademark that is owned or already in use by another entity, other than the General Conference, the entity must first obtain permission from the entity that owns or is using the trademark.

BA 40 40 Use of Marks Owned by the General Conference Corporation—Trademarks that are owned by the General Conference Corporation include, but are not limited to, the denominational logo, the name “Seventh-day Adventists” and/or “Adventist,” or any derivative of such trademarks, including, but not limited to “SDA” when used to define any aspect of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination. (A complete list can be found in the Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook.) Use of trademarks may be authorized as follows:

1. Church entities that have denominational status and are included in the current Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook shall have an automatic license to use these trademarks in their names and ministries by virtue of this policy unless specifically revoked by the General Conference Corporation. Such trademarks shall not be utilized in commercial or for- profit endeavors, except as approved by the General Conference Corporation.

2. Local churches and companies may use these trademarks in their names and ministries following approval of status by the local conference/mission/field. Such trademarks shall not be utilized in commercial or for-profit endeavors, except as approved by the General Conference Corporation.

3. Deceased church members who were in regular standing upon death may have the denominational logo placed on their tombstones as an emblem of belief. The size of such logo should not be larger than 3 x 3 inches (8 x 8 centimeters).

4. Church members, supporting ministries, and business or professional groups are allowed to use trademarks owned by the General Conference Corporation only with its express written approval. Applications for such use shall be made to the General Conference Corporation through the Office of General Counsel. Granting permission to use trademarks owned by the General Conference Corporation shall be at the sole discretion of the General Conference Corporation based on the following conditions:

a. Recommendation by the local conference/mission/field or other denominational entity that the lay or professional group requesting trademark usage be granted the license;

b. The activities of church members, supporting ministries, and business or professional groups shall be in harmony with the teachings of and specifically supported by the Seventh-day Adventist Church;

c. The organization’s board and membership shall consist of Seventh-day Adventists in regular standing;

d. The anticipated use of the trademark shall not be in conflict with previously granted license(s); and

e. The trademark shall not be utilized for commercial or for-profit endeavors, except as approved by the General Conference Corporation.

BA 40 45 Right to Revoke—The General Conference Corporation shall maintain the right to revoke permission for the use of any trademarks it owns at any time, with or without cause.

BA 40 50 Trademark Protection Procedures—It is the responsibility of every organizational entity, at all levels of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, to protect the trademarks owned by the General Conference Corporation, including the names Seventh-day Adventist, Adventist (or their equivalents in other languages), and the logo. Any unauthorized use of the trademarks (see BA 40 05) shall be reported to the officers of the division. The division, in cooperation with the reporting entity, shall attempt to obtain a simple remedy. If this is not successful, the division shall advise the General Conference Corporation of the matter who, through the Office of General Counsel, will work with the division to resolve the issue.

If all attempts to bring resolution fail, and it is determined that legal action is required to protect the Church’s trademarks, the reporting entity, in cooperation with the division and in consultation with the General Conference Corporation and Office of General Counsel, may recommend redress through the courts. The General Conference Corporation may authorize divisions with both a corporate basis and expert legal counsel to implement trademark protection procedures in cooperation with the General Conference Office of General Counsel. Further, the General Conference Corporation reserves the right to initiate such legal action on its own in consultation with the division and other Church entities located where the unauthorized use occurs.

Prior to the initiation of legal action, the appropriate administrative committees of each entity involved in legal proceedings to protect the name are to officially record approval. Unless another organization agrees in writing to bear legal costs, the entity initiating legal action will be responsible for such costs.

BA 40 57 Limitation of Rights—Nothing in this policy shall be construed or interpreted as limiting any of the legal rights of the General Conference Corporation with respect to its ownership and use of any and all of its trademarks.

To obtain permission for usage of trademarks that is not expressly given above, or to report misuse or infringement, please contact us.