Trademark and Copyright FAQ

Intellectual property (IP) refers to trademarks, copyrights, trade secrets, and patents. Trademarks are symbols, names, slogans or taglines, and logos used to identify goods or services that distinguish Toastmasters International. Copyrights protect Toastmasters International’s proprietary educational materials that have been tangibly expressed. The membership marks “Toastmasters International,” “Toastmaster” and “Toastmasters,” and the emblem are registered for trademark protection in all countries where Districts, provisional Districts, or territorial councils exist, for exclusive use by or under the authority of Toastmasters International.

Any product created that bears Toastmasters International's name, logo, tagline, or words (aside from the items mentioned in Protocol 4.0), are considered unauthorized use unless an exception has been made by the Chief Executive Officer.

No. Copying and distributing Toastmasters’ copyrighted material is strictly prohibited. In addition, please note that according to Protocol 4.0, “Toastmasters websites and social media may not include copyrighted information from Toastmasters International or any other source without the express written permission of the copyright owner.”

Unauthorized use of the marks or copyrighted materials is prohibited and may result in removal from good standing of an individual member, revocation of a club charter, removal of an officer at any level, or other disciplinary or legal action. Please see Policy 4.0.

Toastmasters International operates under whistle-blower protection. According to Policy 3.0, if any member believes that Toastmasters’ policies have been violated, please provide a written complaint of all alleged instances of trademark and copyright infringement directly by email and include a description, screenshots, links to the website (if applicable), and any helpful background information regarding how you came across the infringement.

If you provide your contact information, the Trademarks Team will contact you for additional information, if necessary. Your personal information will be kept confidential, except where release is required by law.

Your dedication and initiative in protecting our organization are greatly appreciated.

Clubs, Areas, Divisions, Districts, officer candidates at all levels, and individual members may use Toastmasters International’s trademarks. Refer to Protocol 4.0 for more information.

To use our materials, you must obtain written consent from Toastmasters International. We kindly ask that you contact us by email detailing your request to start the trademark review and approval process. Please include a mockup of how you will use our materials and the reason for the request. Once it is submitted, we will review it as quickly as possible. Please note that each request is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Items that do not require authorization include perishable items such as cakes and cookies.

To create materials using the any of Toastmasters' trademarks, submit a Trademark Use Request. Once this request is submitted, it will be reviewed in the order it was received. Be sure to include a mock up design of your item and following the guidelines in the Brand Manual.

Requests for items that are available on the Toastmasters International Online Store, as well as items that may be purchased from approved preferred vendors, are typically denied.

As a member, you may access templates and logos on the Brand Portal.

Any use of Toastmasters proprietary materials is strictly prohibited unless it applies to fair use. If you are unsure if your use falls under fair use, please email us.

If you wish to use the Toastmasters name and other public details about the organization, please email us to properly cite the work and follow the organization's guidelines. Visit the Copyright page for more information.

Last updated 4/2026