Trademark Guidelines

The Multifactor brand represents more than just our commercial products and services. It is an important symbol of our company’s public benefit mission to reinvent zero trust for the modern web.

These guidelines are intended for Multifactor customers, developers, authorized partners, and other parties wishing to use Multifactor trademarks or logos in any promotional, commercial, educational, or reference material. The use of Multifactor trademarks and logos is prohibited, unless expressly authorized under these guidelines or you have first obtained written permission from an authorized agent of Multifactor, Inc. to use them.

Multifactor trademarks and logos, along with our patents, are our valuable intellectual property assets that represent our dedication to researching and developing innovative zero-trust cybersecurity solutions. To preserve and protect the reputation of the Multifactor brand, it is essential that our word marks and logos are used properly. Multifactor, Inc. exclusively owns any goodwill generated by the use of the Multifactor trademarks.

Permissible Uses

1. References in Text Form to Multifactor Products and Services You are permitted to use Multifactor trademarks in word form only (word marks, not logos) to identify Multifactor products or services, subject to the use guidelines below. Use of the Multifactor logos requires our prior written permission.

2. References to Multifactor, Inc. as a Company “Multifactor, Inc.” is a company and trade name. You are permitted to reference “Multifactor, Inc.” as a company in written materials by first using the full trade name with the incorporated designation (i.e., “Multifactor, Inc.”), followed by “Multifactor” (omitting the “Inc.” designation) in subsequent references within the same publication. When referring to Multifactor as a corporate entity, do not use the ™ symbol.

References to our company are often followed by a reference to our public benefit designation (e.g., “Multifactor, Inc., a Delaware Public Benefit Corporation”), but this is not strictly required by law except in certain investment disclosure documents. It is never correct to use a public benefit reference in place of the “Inc.” designation (i.e., do not use something like “Multifactor PBC”).

3. Use of Multifactor Trademarks by Authorized Partners If you are an authorized partner of Multifactor and your agreement with us allows you to use Multifactor trademarks, you must follow the requirements specified in your agreement. If you have not been provided with special trademark usage guidelines with your agreement, you must follow the general guidelines described herein.

Please note that resale of Multifactor services requires a formal partnership agreement with Multifactor, Inc. If you are not an authorized partner, you are not allowed to indicate, or use Multifactor trademarks to indicate, that you are a reseller or distributor of Multifactor products or services.

4. Popular Use of ”Multi-Factor Authentication”

Multifactor™ is a brand name when used to refer to our proprietary PaaS and SaaS products, but the hyphenated term “multi-factor authentication” is sometimes used as a generic term that describes a type of authentication. Multifactor, Inc. explicitly makes no claim to the term “multi-factor authentication”, and you may continue to use “multi-factor authentication” in a way that is generally understood to not imply association with Multifactor as a company.

How to Use Multifactor Trademarks Correctly

When you have permission to use our trademarks, please adhere to the following rules:

  • Properly Designate Trademarks: Use the ™ symbol with all Multifactor trademarks (e.g., Multifactor™, MFKDF™, Checkpoint™ by Multifactor™) the first time the trademark appears in any text.
  • Include a Trademark Attribution Statement: Include an appropriate attribution statement in a footnote or credit line. For example: Multifactor, MFKDF, Switchboard by Multifactor, and the Multifactor logo are trademarks of Multifactor, Inc.
  • Do Not Use as Verbs: Multifactor trademarks should never be used as a verb.
    • Correct: "We use Multifactor™ technology to secure our applications."
    • Incorrect: "We Multifactored our login process."
  • Use in Referential Phrases: If you need to refer to our trademarks, use a referential phrase such as “for use with,” “compatible with,” or “works with.” Do not join your brand with ours.
    • Correct: "MyAuth App, powered by Multifactor™"
    • Incorrect: "MultifactorAuth App"

What to Avoid When Using Multifactor Trademarks

Your use of our trademarks must be truthful and fair. The following uses are strictly prohibited:

  • No Misleading Affiliation: You may not use any Multifactor trademark or logo in a way that would imply an affiliation with or endorsement, sponsorship, or support of a third-party product or service, without our express written permission.
  • No Disparagement: Multifactor trademarks, graphic symbols, and logos may not be used in a disparaging manner.
  • No Variations or Misspellings: You may not use variations, misspellings, or any confusingly similar versions of Multifactor trademarks. This includes using our marks in a way that could cause initial interest confusion.
  • No Domain Names or Advertising: Third parties may not use Multifactor marks or their misspellings in domain names, keyword bids (like Google AdWords), search engine optimization, meta tags, or any other form of targeted advertising or code.
  • No Unlawful Use: You may not display Multifactor trademarks or branding on a site or in material that violates any law or regulation.
  • No Incorporation: You may not incorporate Multifactor trademarks or branding into your own product names, service names, trademarks, logos, or company names.
  • No Merchandise for Sale: You may not use Multifactor trademarks on merchandise for sale (e.g., t-shirts, mugs, etc.).
  • No Alteration: You may not modify, abbreviate, or combine Multifactor trademarks with any other symbols, words, or images, or incorporate them into a tagline or slogan.

Specific Prohibitions for Our Unique Brand

  • Cryptographic Primitive Naming (MFXXX): Most first-party Multifactor cryptographic primitives take the form of MFXXX (or MFXXX2, MFXXX3, etc.). This format is a unique identifier of our technology. You may not use this MFXXX format to name, market, or otherwise identify any non-Multifactor product, especially cryptographic tools, as this could misleadingly suggest it is a genuine Multifactor cryptographic primitive.
  • Product Logo Format: Multifactor's product logos are defined by a unique design of three substantially similar, vertically stacked icons in red, orange, and yellow. You may not imitate this visual format. Using a logo with three similarly styled and stacked icons is prohibited, as it would misleadingly suggest that the product is a genuine Multifactor offering.

These trademark guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive. If you have any questions about whether a specific use of Multifactor trademarks is permissible, please contact us at [email protected]. These guidelines are subject to change at any time, and it is your responsibility to check this page from time to time to ensure that you are using Multifactor trademarks in accordance with the most current version of these guidelines.

Last Updated: These Trademark Guidelines were last updated on June 22, 2025.

Trademark Examples

 

Logos

The following is an illustrative, non-exhaustive list of our logo trademarks:

Multifactor

MFKDF2

MFCHF2

MFDPG2

Portal

Read more about our design philosophy in our brand guide.

Word Marks

The following is an illustrative, non-exhaustive list of our word marks:

  • Multifactor™
  • MFKDF™ and MFKDF2™
  • MFCHF™ and MFCHF2™
  • MFDPG™ and MFDPG2™
  • Switchboard™ by Multifactor™
  • Checkpoint™ by Multifactor™
  • Portal™ by Multifactor™
  • Carbon™ by Multifactor™
  • Tripwire™ by Multifactor™