Trademarks

A trademark helps identify and distinguish the goods or services of one party from those of another. In the United States, Morningstar uses three different symbols to designate the legal status of a mark: trademark, service mark, and registered trademark. 

A trademark, or ™ designator, is used to claim trademark rights in the name of a product or tangible good until it’s formally registered with a government. 

A service mark, or ℠ designator, is used to claim service mark rights in the name of a service, including a service offered over the web, until it’s formally registered with a government. 

The registered trademark, or ® designator, indicates that a product or service name has been formally registered with the applicable government. Trademark registrations are usually done on a country-by-country basis. 

Note that most countries outside of the US ignore the distinction between trademarks and service marks and just use the ™ designator for all unregistered marks. 

For country-specific use cases, see Registered Trademarks. 

Our core brand assets include the Morningstar name, the logotype and lockups, and the family brand names, as well as our signature assets like our Morningstar Economic Moat Rating. Our regulated entity names and some offering names may also be treated as protectable assets. 

We distinguish between our use and external party use of marks with the Morningstar brand. See Using the Marks for the appropriate guidelines. 

Morningstar name, logotype, and lockups

The Morningstar brand name is a separate mark that is distinct from the names of products, features, and supporting elements except in limited instances. In the United States and most other jurisdictions in which Morningstar does business, the Morningstar brand name is a registered trademark, and this designation is important for us to maintain.  

Similarly, our logotype is typically a registered mark and the anchor of our visual identity, and it forms a part of our lockups, which are used for family brands only. 

Offerings and signature assets

In some cases, we have registered the names of certain products and services in the United States and other jurisdictions as trademarks. For a current list, see Registered Trademarks. 

In Morningstar-owned touchpoints

Within Morningstar-owned touchpoints, like our websites and our marketing and sales materials, we no longer include an ® designator in text (like Morningstar®) or as part of the Morningstar logotype, and we do not use an ℠ at the end of our lockups. 

While a select few of our offerings and supporting elements are approved by the Brand team to use Morningstar in their name, this is in text only and does not include an ®, ™, ℠, or any other designator. Examples include Morningstar Investor, Morningstar Office, and Morningstar Direct. 

All uses of the logotype must be accompanied by legal attribution text which varies by country and jurisdiction. Contact the Legal team for specific recommendations. 

In third-party context

Third parties are organizations outside Morningstar which have legitimate reasons to reference or represent our brands and/or offerings. On first use, all third parties are required to include: 

• an ® designator in text (like Morningstar®) and as part of the Morningstar logotype but not within family brand and other approved names. In those jurisdictions in which Morningstar has not registered the mark in question, you must use either a ™ designator or an ℠ designator, depending on the country. 

• an ℠ or ™ at the end of lockups and family brand names. The choice depends on the country in which the family brand is being used. Use an ℠ designator in the US and Japan, and a ™ designator in all other countries. 

• an ®, ℠, or ™ as appropriate at the end of registered product names. 

When using the logotype, third parties must ensure the legibility of the registered trademark symbol. For guidance, see Morningstar Logos. 

For the full list of registered trademarks and how to represent them in each of our jurisdictions, see Registered Trademarks. 

Please email the Brand team with questions on which marks to use. Contact Legal with any questions about the status or proper use of registered trademarks, as well as the correct representation of regulated entities in specific contexts or jurisdictions. 

Copyright Notice

Any published piece that Morningstar produces should have the appropriate copyright information included with it. The required elements of a copyright notice are the copyright symbol, the year, the name of the entity, and the reservation of rights language. Please contact Legal with any questions about the appropriate copyright notice. 

Disclaimers

In addition to the appropriate copyright information included with all published pieces, many Morningstar products and services also require specific disclaimer language which may or may not be part of the copyright notice. Please contact Legal with any questions about appropriate disclaimers and their representation in published pieces.