Carnegie Mellon University

Trademarks and Logos

For the purposes of this site a trademark, logo, or mark should be considered the same thing.  We have several registeredd trademarks which are reviewed below. Registered trademark status is granted through the United Patent and Trademark Office.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office defines a trademark as "any word, name, symbol, or device, or any combination, used, or intended to be used, in commerce to identify and distinguish the goods of one manufacturer or seller from goods manufactured or sold by others, and to indicate the source of the goods. In short, a trademark is a brand name."

Indepth information about trademarks can be found on the United States Patent and Trademark Office's website.

Carnegie Mellon's Registered Trademarks

In 1989, Carnegie Mellon University registered three of its trademarks with the United States Patent and Trademark Office: 

  • the university's name, "CARNEGIE MELLON";
  • the CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY SEAL DESIGN; and 
  • the CARNEGIE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SEAL DESIGN. 
In 2009, the United States Patent and Trademark Office granted registered trademark status to the new Scottish terrier mascot & design.

Other Carnegie Mellon Marks

Once again the acronym "CMU" can be used only on merchandise but it can only appear if the words "CARNEGIE MELLON UNIVERSITY" are also on the product.  CMU should not be used on official publication pieces.

Also, words such as (THE) "TARTAN(S)", "CARNEGIE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY", "CARNEGIE TECH", and "MY HEART IS IN THE WORK", are used by the university as trademarks but are not registered marks. Carnegie Mellon asserts ownership over its name and any other current or future mark, logo, insignia, seal, crest, design, or symbol which has come to be associated with the university.

Carnegie Mellon has a unique Tartan that was originally created for our founder, Andrew Carnegie. The replication of this Tartan on merchandise must be approved by the Trademark Licensing Office.

Art Sheets/Art Files

The Trademark Licensing Office no longer provides art sheets as our official marks can be downloaded  from a link through our Brand Guidelines. Files can only be used for mercandise -commercial or non-commercial by an active official trademark licensee of the unversity.  https://www.cmu.edu/brand/downloads/index.html

Contact the director of the Trademark Licensing Office 412-268-3904 or marano@andrew.cmu.edu.

Questions?

For questions about whether or not something is a trademark, contact the John Marano, Director of Trademark Licensing in The Trademark Licensing Office at (412) 268-3904, marano@andrew.cmu.edu or visit the trademark policy page.