Authors of books, articles, blog posts, and other similar content (including
podcasts and videos) may reference Google and Google’s trademarked product
names, icons, and logos in your materials – but you’ll need to follow these
guidelines.
You’re welcome to reference Google and our products in your materials without
needing to ask for our permission – but please follow these guidelines to
ensure proper use.
Usage
You’ll need to follow our general “Rules for Proper Usage,”
including but not limited to the following restrictions:
don’t do this
Don’t use our brand elements in any manner that implies a
relationship or affiliation with, sponsorship, or endorsement by
Google, or that can be reasonably interpreted to suggest editorial
content has been authored by, or represents the views or opinions of
Google or Google personnel.
Don’t mimic any of our brand elements, such as our logos or color
pattern, in your own materials.
Don’t use our brand elements on any website that contains adult
content, promotes gambling, involves the sale of tobacco or alcohol
to persons under twenty-one years of age, or otherwise violates
applicable law.
Press
If you’re a member of the press, visit our Press Corner
for Google-approved images and our press contact information.
Fair use
Your use of the content may be acceptable under principles of fair use
(or other similar concepts in other countries). Fair use is a concept under
copyright law in the U.S. that, generally speaking, permits you to use a
copyrighted work in certain ways without obtaining a license from the
copyright holder. Google can’t tell you if your use of this content would be
fair use; these are legal analyses that depend on all of the specific facts of
your proposed use. You may wish to obtain your own legal advice.
Attribution
If using any of our trademarks, such as our names, icons, or screenshots of
our products, include a legal attribution line where applicable: [Product name] is a trademark of Google LLC. Please also include a prominent disclaimer of affiliation, for example: “Google and Google Docs are trademarks of Google LLC and this book is not
endorsed by or affiliated with Google in any way.”
Refer to ourTrademark Listfor the proper names of our trademarks.
Use of our trademarks
Our trademarks are important to us, so we want to make sure you use them correctly.
Trademarks include our names, icons, logos, and other signature imagery.
Names
You’re welcome to reference Google and our products in plain text, whether in
fictional or non-fiction content, and don’t need to ask for our permission to
do so. Your use of Google trademarks cannot imply a relationship with Google or
suggest the content has been authored by or represents the views of Google,
such as “The Official Google Docs Guidebook.” For example, you can write a book called “Google Docs for Newbies,” but you
can’t include the Google logo, the Google Docs icon, or screenshots of Google
Docs on the cover of your book. You may use these elements where appropriate inside your book for
instructional purposes, as long as such references are accurate and
relevant.
View ourtrademark list
for the proper names of all our products and services.
Screenshots
You may use unaltered screenshots of our products for instructional or
illustrative purposes in textbooks, instructional books and videos, online
articles, blog posts, and other such materials. They may be lightly annotated,
but don’t distort or modify them in any way, such as changing the appearance
of the user interface. Screenshots can’t appear on the cover of your book, but you may use
screenshots in advertisements for your book, video, or other content, whether
print or digital, as long as it is clear that the advertisement is coming from
you and not from Google.
Product icons
You may use small depictions of our product icons within your book, article,
instructional video, or other similar content for educational or informational
purposes. You’ll still always need our permission to use the Google logo, or
any of our product icons or logos outside of this use case.
Use appropriate context
Use our icons in appropriate context within your content, as supporting
and informative elements.
Don’t suggest an affiliation
Don’t use our icons in a prominent fashion or out of context, or in any
manner that could suggest an affiliation with Google.
Don’t use older or modified versions of our icons, unless you’re referring
to the historical versions of these assets.
Use proper spacing
Leave appropriate space between any Google icons and other elements.
Don’t overcrowd icons
Don’t combine or cramp Google icons with other elements.
Style considerations
Don’t use Google as a verb
Don’t use Google as a verb, such as “Let me Google that.” Instead, say
“Let me look that up on Google.”
Don’t modify our names
Don’t abbreviate, combine, modify, or hyphenate any Google trademarked
names.
Use of Google Maps, Google Earth, and Street View
If you’d like to use Google Maps, Google Earth, or Street View in your
materials, first review our guidelines for use.
Google Maps and Google Earth
Go for it
You may use screenshots from Google Maps and Earth in a book or
other publications without needing to request our permission, as
long as you’re distributing 5,000 or fewer copies. You must adhere
to our
attribution guidelines, and you can’t alter how the product interface looks or use
screenshots out of context.
don’t do this
Google Maps and Google Earth screenshots cannot be used as the core
part of navigational material, such as in guidebooks.
Street View
Go for it
You may only use Street View in digital content, and only if the
content is directly embedded from our API or built-in embed tools.
don’t do this
You may not use any screenshots of Street View in any print
publications.
Not what you need?
View all of our guidance on using Google brand elements
