Attribution & badge program

Ratify Protocol is open source — Apache 2.0 for code, CC-BY-4.0 for the spec. You can use it commercially, build products on it, and modify it freely without paying anyone or asking permission.

This page describes what we ask (not require) when you do.

Why attribution matters for trust infrastructure

The value of Ratify Protocol to your users isn’t just the feature it enables — it’s the verifiability behind the claim. When your product says “this agent is verified,” a user’s natural question is “verified how, by whom, and can I check?”

Attributing to Ratify Protocol gives them an answer: a public spec, an open-source implementation, a conformance test suite across five SDKs, and a published threat model. That’s something your marketing copy can’t provide on its own.

This is the same dynamic behind Signal’s “Messages secured with the Signal Protocol” — not a legal requirement, but a trust amplifier. Apps that display it aren’t subordinating their brand; they’re grounding their security claim in something inspectable and independent.

What we ask

In developer documentation and security pages

Include a reference to the protocol where you describe your agent authorization architecture:

Agent authorization is built on [Ratify Protocol](https://identities.ai/protocol),
an open cryptographic identity protocol for AI agents with a published
specification and cross-SDK conformance test suite.

Or the short form on a “powered by” or “open source” page:

Powered by [Ratify Protocol](https://identities.ai/protocol)

In product UIs — verification results

When your product surfaces a verification result to an end user, use the “Verified by Ratify Protocol” badge. Download the SVG, host it yourself, and link it to https://identities.ai/protocol.

Variant	Download	Use when
Dark background	badge-verified-dark.svg	Dark or colored UI surfaces
Light background	badge-verified-light.svg	White or light UI surfaces
Powered by (dark)	badge-powered-dark.svg	Footer, settings, “about” pages — dark
Powered by (light)	badge-powered-light.svg	Footer, settings, “about” pages — light

Badge usage rules:

Do not alter colors, proportions, or text.
Do not use it in a way that implies Identities AI endorses your product.
Do not use it as a primary branding element — it should live alongside your own brand.
Always link it to https://identities.ai/protocol.

Trademark policy

Ratify Protocol™ and identities.ai™ are trademarks of Identities AI, Inc.

You can:

Say your product “uses Ratify Protocol”, “is built on Ratify Protocol”, or “implements the Ratify Protocol spec.”
Use “Ratify Protocol” accurately as a noun to describe the open protocol.
Display the badges above with correct attribution.

You cannot:

Use “Ratify Protocol” or any confusingly similar name as the name of your own protocol, product, or service.
Register a domain, trademark, or social handle that includes “Ratify” in a way that could be confused with Identities AI, Inc.
Imply that Identities AI, Inc. sponsors or endorses your product without a written agreement.

Questions

Topic	Contact
Attribution, trademark, or commercial licensing	[email protected]
Badge misuse or trademark infringement	[email protected]
General open-source questions	Open an issue on GitHub