Today we announced the Second Life Brand Center, featuring our new inSL Logo Program and Guidelines for Using Linden Lab’s Trademarks. We invite you to check out the Brand Center at http://secondlife.com/corporate/brand.

The inSL Logo Program offers a new community logo that you can display with your company names, product or service names, and brand names to show their association with the Second Life world. By using the inSL logo, you can make sure customers know that your business is involved in the Second Life world. For more on the inSL Logo Program, visit http://secondlife.com/corporate/brand/insl.

The Brand Center also provides guidelines on proper use of Linden Lab’s trademarks, including the brand names “Second Life,” “SL,” and “Linden” as well as the Eye-in-Hand logo. Visit http://secondlife.com/corporate/brand/trademark. Recognizing the importance of Residents’ contributions, Linden Lab has allowed certain uses of the words “SL” or “inSL” with your company names, product or service names, and Internet domain names to show their association with the Second Life world. For the details of this special permission, check out the License To Use SL or inSL at http://secondlife.com/corporate/brand/trademark/sl_insl.php.

The Trademark Guidelines give lots of specific examples of the allowed uses of Linden Lab’s trademarks, those uses which require Linden Lab’s written permission, and the proper way to refer to Linden Lab’s products and services in text. Following these Guidelines is important to ensure that others aren’t misled or confused about the products or services that Linden Lab stands behind. For example, you must not use the “Second Life” brand name or Eye-in-Hand logo in your own branding because that’s likely to create confusion about your relationship with Linden Lab. However, it is OK to simply state in plain text that your business “is listed in the Second Life Grid Solution Provider Directory,” as long as you don’t imply any endorsement by or relationship with Linden Lab.

Please review the Trademark Guidelines carefully. If after reading them, you realize that you’re using a Linden Lab trademark in a way that’s not allowed, please use the next 90 days to change your use to comply with the Guidelines. For more about this, see our FAQs at http://secondlife.com/corporate/brand/faqs.php. If after reading the FAQs, you still have questions, please feel free to send us email at sldevelopers@lists.lindenlab.com.

In the upcoming months, we plan to include in the Second Life Brand Center a new logo licensing program for certain participants in the Solution Provider Program. We’re still working out the details, but look for exciting things to come from the Brand Center.

Glenn & Madhavi for the Solution Provider Program team