Brand Guidelines

The Software for Open Networking in the Cloud (SONiC) Foundation is an open source network operating system hosted under the Linux Foundation. This guideline aims to ensure the consistent use of SONiC branding and assets to maintain its recognition and integrity within the open source community.

These guidelines supplement The Linux Foundation Trademark Usage Policy available at www.linuxfoundation.org/trademark-usage. Together, they govern use of all SONiC Foundation trademarks.

SONiC Trademark and Branding Approvals at a Glance

The SONiC name and logo are registered trademarks of The Linux Foundation. In certain cases, prior approval from the SONiC Marketing Team is required. In all other cases, organizations are expected to follow the SONiC Brand Guidelines.

Approval Required

Please submit the following to marketing@sonicfoundation.dev for review before publishing:

• Press releases mentioning SONiC or the SONiC Foundation (submit at least 1 week before release)
• Product or service announcements referencing SONiC (submit at least 2 weeks before release)
• Third-party events using SONiC in the event name or branding (e.g., “SONiC Summit”).
  • SONiC members may host webinars, sessions, or meetups about SONiC without approval, as long as it’s clear they are company-organized and not official SONiC Foundation events.

Compliance Required

The following do not need prior approval but must comply with SONiC branding policies:

• Marketing collateral using the SONiC name or logo
• Websites or domains referencing SONiC (note: SONiC cannot appear in a product/service domain without written permission)

For questions, contact marketing@sonicfoundation.dev.

Quick Access to Sections

• Trademark Usage
  Learn how to reference SONiC, what approvals are required, third-party events naming and the rules for proper usage.
• Products & Services Built with SONiC
  See approved formats for describing products or services that integrate SONiC.
• Logo Usage
  Download official logos, see approved variations, and learn what not to do with the SONiC logo.
• Member Badges
  Access official SONiC Member Badges to showcase your company’s support.
• Vendor Neutrality in Communications
  Understand how to keep communications balanced, community-driven, and free of sales messaging.
• Event Presentations & Sessions
  Rules for SONiC-branded talks at Linux Foundation events, plus the official SONiC presentation template.
• Questions & Disclaimer
  Contact details for the SONiC marketing team and legal notes.

Trademark Usage

The SONiC name and logo are registered trademarks of The Linux Foundation. To preserve their value and ensure consistent use across the community, all organizations must review and comply with these guidelines before using SONiC trademarks in any form.

Rules and Policies for SONiC Trademarks

Do’s

• Use SONiC® on first mention in text. Always include the ® symbol with the first prominent use of SONiC in a document, infographic, or other material.
• Link the first SONiC mention to the official website. In digital content (blogs, press releases, web pages), hyperlink the first use of SONiC® to sonicfoundation.dev
• Treat the SONiC logo as a registered trademark. Use the official logo files. Either:
  • Use the version of the logo that already includes the ® symbol, or
  • Add a trademark attribution notice such as:
    • “SONiC and the SONiC logo are registered trademarks of The Linux Foundation. See sonicfoundation.dev”
• Use vendor-neutral language when describing SONiC as a project. SONiC is a Linux Foundation community project, not owned or controlled by any one company. When attributing innovations or contributions, it’s fine to mention your company’s role (e.g., “Company X contributes features to SONiC”), but avoid phrasing that suggests a company owns or is the source of SONiC (e.g., “SONiC by Company X” or “SONiC X by Company Y’).
• Review LF’s general trademark guidelines first. Before creating marketing collateral, check The Linux Foundation Trademark Usage Guidelines. If still unsure, contact trademarks@linuxfoundation.org.

Don’ts

• Don’t alter SONiC trademarks or logos. Do not abbreviate, stretch, recolor, reorient, crop, or otherwise modify the SONiC logo or word mark. Always use the official artwork provided by the SONiC Foundation.
• Don’t omit trademark symbols on first use. In text, the first prominent mention must be SONiC®. For the logo, use the version with ® included or add a proper trademark attribution notice.
• Don’t imply endorsement or certification. Avoid phrases such as “SONiC approved”, “SONiC certified”, or “Official SONiC partner” unless you have explicit written authorization from the SONiC Foundation.
• Don’t use SONiC trademarks more prominently than your own. In joint materials, your company’s name/logo should be primary, with SONiC clearly secondary.
• Don’t misrepresent ownership or governance. SONiC is a Linux Foundation project. Avoid possessive language such as “Acme’s SONiC” or phrasing that suggests a company might own or exclusively control SONiC.
• Don’t create confusion with SONiC branding. Don’t produce marketing materials that appear to come from the SONiC Foundation when they come from your company.
• Don’t combine SONiC marks with your own. For example, don’t merge logos or visually pair SONiC branding with your corporate identity in a way that suggests a joint mark.
• Don’t use SONiC trademarks in misleading events. Meetups, webinars, or sessions with SONiC branding must make it clear they are organized by your company and not official SONiC Foundation events (unless explicitly approved).
• Don’t forget proper attribution. If you use the SONiC name or logo, include the notice: “SONiC and the SONiC logo are registered trademarks of The Linux Foundation. See sonicfoundation.dev”.
• Don’t use “SONiC” as a verb or noun.  A trademark should be used only as an adjective followed by the generic name/noun.

Third-Party Events Naming

SONiC members may host webinars, sessions, or meetups about SONiC without prior approval, as long as it is clear that these events are organized by their company and not official SONiC Foundation events.

For non-member organizations, small-scale events such as webinars or technical sessions may proceed without approval if they meet the same clarity standard. However, large-scale or branded events (for example, those titled “SONiC Summit” or equivalent) require review and explicit approval from the SONiC Marketing Team before being promoted or launched.

Guidelines for Products/Services Built with SONiC

When describing products and services that use or integrate SONiC, you may explain how they work with SONiC (e.g., “powered by SONiC”, “based on SONiC” or “for SONiC”). However, you may not embed SONiC directly into your product name, domain name, or corporate branding.

✅ Correct Examples

• Company X SwitchOS (v3.2) powered by SONiC, a Linux Foundation project
• Company X Cloud Service (v1.0) based on SONiC, a Linux Foundation project
• Company X Monitoring Tool for SONiC, a Linux Foundation project
• Company X SwitchOS Distributed by SONiC, a Linux Foundation project
• Company X Training for SONiC
• Company X Consulting on SONiC Deployments

❌ Incorrect Examples

• SONiC by Company X
• Company X’s SONiC
• SONiC – Company X Switch
• SONiC Manager by Company X
• Company X SONiC Switch
• SONiC Training by Company X
• Official SONiC Certification Program
• sonic-tools.com

Logo Usage

The SONiC logo is a registered trademark of The Linux Foundation. Correct use of the logo helps protect the brand, maintain consistency across community and vendor materials, and reinforce SONiC’s vendor-neutral identity.

Approved Logo Versions

Only official SONiC logo files may be used. Do not alter or create your own variations. The approved versions are:

• Primary logo (preferred lockup) – for general use.
• Logo with ® symbol – required for the first prominent appearance of the SONiC logo in any material to indicate that SONiC is a registered trademark.
• Stacked lockup – for vertical or square formats.
• White/reversed version – for use on dark backgrounds.
• Black version – for grayscale or print applications.

Available formats: .svg, .png, .jpg

SONiC Member Use

SONiC Foundation members are encouraged to showcase their support by using the official SONiC Member Badges. To request the badges (full-color or black & white versions in SVG and PNG formats), please contact marketing@sonicfoundation.dev

Not a member yet? Join the SONiC Foundation today.

Vendor Neutrality in Communications

SONiC is a Linux Foundation project. It is not owned, led, or controlled by any single company. All communications that mention SONiC should reflect this vendor-neutral positioning.

Do’s

• Emphasize community and collaboration. Refer to SONiC as an open, community-driven project.
  • Example: “Company X contributes new features to SONiC, a Linux Foundation project.”
• Highlight your company’s contributions accurately. It is appropriate to mention your participation, engineering work, or solutions built on SONiC.
  • Example: “Company X provides monitoring tools for SONiC deployments.”
• Use approved descriptive formats for products and services (powered by SONiC, compatible with SONiC).

Don’ts

• Don’t suggest ownership or control. Avoid possessive or misleading phrasing.
  • ❌ “Company X’s SONiC”
  • ❌ “SONiC by Company X”
• Don’t use language that could imply endorsement, certification, or sponsorship. SONiC does not certify, approve, or officially endorse third-party products or services. Please avoid anything that may suggest otherwise.
• Don’t make SONiC the primary brand in your company’s marketing materials. Your company’s brand or product name should always be primary, with SONiC referenced as the open source project you support or build upon.

Event Presentations & Sessions

SONiC events and SONiC sessions at Linux Foundation–hosted events are designed to be community-focused and vendor-neutral. You can view here for SONiC vendor neutrality guideline. To maintain the integrity of the project and deliver the most value to attendees:

• All SONiC presentations must remain vendor neutral. Presentations should focus on SONiC technology, use cases, best practices, and community collaboration.
• Do not include sales pitches. Presentations that serve primarily as marketing for a company’s products, solutions, or services are not permitted and are poorly received by the community. Presentations abusing this policy may be revoked or edited at the SONiC Foundation’s discretion.
• Highlight contributions, not products. It is appropriate to showcase technical contributions your company has made to SONiC, but not to use the stage as a platform to promote proprietary offerings.

Rule of Thumb: SONiC event sessions are for advancing the community and technology, not for product promotion.

Presentation Template

To support consistent and professional communications, the official SONiC presentation template is available for anyone preparing SONiC-related presentations.

Questions and Disclaimer

We rely on our community to help preserve the value of SONiC trademarks. If you have any questions about proper usage, need approval for press releases or marketing materials, or want to report a concern, please contact marketing@sonicfoundation.dev

The Linux Foundation may release new versions of these SONiC Brand Guidelines or The Linux Foundation Trademark Usage Guidelines from time to time without notice.

Note: The SONiC Foundation is currently developing a new SONiC Conformance Program to further strengthen ecosystem consistency and help ensure that products and solutions using SONiC meet defined quality and interoperability standards. Details will be shared once the program launches.