Trademark and Copyright

NGSS Logo

Public License

A message for states, districts, schools, teachers and non-profit education entities:
 
The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) were developed by educators, content experts and policymakers, using as a guiding document A Framework for K-12 Science Education from the National Research Council.  The K-12 academic standards in science were developed by and for educators and school leaders, and as such states, districts, schools, teachers and non-profit education entities may copy, reproduce, alter, adapt, edit, delete and rearrange any and all parts of the NGSS as they see fit and without permission. To limit any confusion, states and districts may not represent that their K-12 science standards are the NGSS unless they have adopted all of the performance expectations. 
 

Guidelines for Use of Next Generation Science Standards Trademarks by States, Partners, and Other Governmental and Nonprofit Entities

Introduction

The Next Generation Science Standards (“NGSS”) were developed by twenty-six states, in collaboration with partners (the "Lead States and Partners") (see https://www.nextgenscience.org/development-overview) in a process managed by Achieve, Inc. (“Achieve”). The NGSS trademarks include the words NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS and the associated logo (shown above). The trademarks were transferred by Achieve to WestEd in May 2020 in order to allow for the continued operation of nextgenscience.org, a website that hosts the standards and other free and publicly available resources to support the adoption and implementation of K-12 science education standards. The copyright to the standards are held by the National Academies Press.

As the owner of the Trademark, WestEd requires that all third-parties using and/or referring to the NGSS trademarks do so in a manner that will minimize confusion among the public and refrain from falsely implying a relationship with the NGSS Lead States and Partners or with nextgenscience.org.

These Guidelines explain acceptable and unacceptable uses of NGSS trademarks and are applicable to the use of the marks in any medium, including, print, multimedia, and online materials.

Before using any NGSS trademark, please review the following Guidelines. WestEd, on behalf of the Lead States and Partners, reserves the right to request samples of materials that incorporate the NGSS marks and insist that materials not conforming with these Guidelines be altered.

Unacceptable Use

Third parties should not:

  1. Use or combine NGSS’s trademarks with any other trademark or design, or in a manner which suggests ownership by a third party (e.g. “ACME Book’s Next Generation Science Standards”).
  2. Use the trademarks within the main title of any third party products, service, or publication, such as “John Doe’s Guide to Next Generation Science Standards”.
    • Suggested acceptable titles:
      • John Doe’s Guide to Science: compatible with Next Generation Science Standards
      • John Doe’s Guide: for use with Next Generation Science Standards.
  3. Overemphasize the NGSS mark. The NGSS mark must be different and/or smaller in font, size and color in comparison to the third party’s text or marks.
  4. Use NGSS trademarks in company names, Internet domain names, web site addresses, metatags, or purchase NGSS trademarks as keywords.
  5. Use NGSS trademarks in a generic way, such as in all lowercase letters and within the text of a sentence.
    • Example of improper use – “ACME Book’s new publication features information on next generation science standards for high schools.”

Acceptable Use

Third-parties should:

  1. Display an asterisk with all NGSS trademarks. The asterisk should be placed next to first prominent use of the NGSS trademark and reference a footnote or disclaimer.
  2. Use the following footnote/disclaimer:
    • “__________ is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.
  3. Use trademarks in their entirety and may not abbreviate or alter the marks in any way.

Guidelines for Commercial Use of Next Generation Science Standards Trademarks

Introduction

The Next Generation Science Standards (“NGSS”) were developed by twenty-six states, in collaboration with partners (the “Lead States and Partners”) (see https://www.nextgenscience.org/development-overview) in a process managed by Achieve, Inc. (“Achieve”). The NGSS trademarks include the words NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS and the associated logo (shown above). The trademarks were transferred by Achieve to WestEd in May 2020 in order to allow for the continued operation of nextgenscience.org, a website that hosts the standards and other free and publicly available resources to support the adoption and implementation of K-12 science education standards. The copyright to the standards are held by the National Academies Press.

As the owner of the Trademark, WestEd requires that all third-parties using and/or referring to the NGSS trademarks do so in a manner that will minimize confusion among the public and refrain from falsely implying a relationship with the NGSS Lead States and Partners or with nextgenscience.org.

These Guidelines explain acceptable and unacceptable uses of NGSS trademarks and are applicable to the use of the marks in any medium, including, print, multimedia, and online materials.

Before using any NGSS trademark, please review the following Guidelines. WestEd, on behalf of the Lead States and Partners, reserves the right to request samples of materials that incorporate the NGSS marks and insist that materials not conforming with these Guidelines be altered. WestEd reserves the right to deny any third party request if the use of a Trademark, in association with any product or service, may falsely lead consumers to believe that the source of the product or service is the NGSS Lead States and Partners.

Submission of samples

  1. For print materials, submit copies of covers, spine, title page, and/or page of first prominent use;
  2. For Internet uses, submit copies of the Web site home page and Web page where the NGSS mark(s) is/are first prominently featured;
  3. For CD ROM, DVD, video or other products, submit copies of labels, packaging and advertisements.

Unacceptable use:

Third parties:

  1. Shall not use the NGSS logo without the express written consent of WestEd.
  2. Shall not use or combine NGSS’s trademarks with any other trademark or design, or in a manner which suggests ownership by a third party (e.g. “ACME Book’s Next Generation Science Standards”).
  3. Shall not use the trademarks within the main title of any third party products, service, or publication, such as “John Doe’s Guide to Next Generation Science Standards”.

Suggested acceptable titles:

  • John Doe’s Guide to Science: compatible with Next Generation Science Standards
  • John Doe’s Guide: for use with Next Generation Science Standards.
  1. Shall not use the trademark symbols (® or ™) alongside NGSS trademarks. Third parties must replace the trademark symbol with an asterisk and include the appropriate footnote/disclaimer. (see 3c below for disclaimer language).
  2. Shall not overemphasize the NGSS mark. The NGSS mark must be different and/or smaller in font, size and color in comparison to the third-party’s text or marks.
  3. Shall not use NGSS trademarks in company names, Internet domain names, web site addresses, metatags, or purchase NGSS trademarks as keywords.
  4. Shall not use NGSS trademarks in a generic way, such as in all lowercase letters and within the text of a sentence:
  • Example of improper use – “ACME Book’s new publication features information on next generation science standards for high schools.”

Acceptable use:

Third-parties:

  1. Must display an asterisk with all NGSS trademarks. The asterisk should be placed next to first prominent use of the NGSS trademark and reference a footnote or disclaimer.
  2. Must use the following footnote/disclaimer:

“__________ is a registered trademark of WestEd. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it.

  1. Must make the footnote clearly visible, (i.e. appropriate type size, color, and placement) on all covers, packaging, advertisements, and websites, as follows:

i. For print publications, the footnote/disclaimer should appear on the front cover, the back cover, and on the copyright page.

ii. On packaging, labels, and advertisements, the footnote/disclaimer must appear on the same surface as the NGSS mark.

iii. For web sites, the footnote/disclaimer must appear on the web site home page and on all internal web pages that first prominently use the NGSS mark. The footnote/disclaimer must be placed at the bottom of the respective page. Please note: Acknowledgements of WestEd’s trademark, ownership, or disclaimer of endorsement or responsibility appearing only in “Terms and Conditions” or “Legal Notice” sections of a web site does NOT satisfy these Guidelines.

  1. Must use trademarks in their entirety and may not abbreviate or alter the marks in any way.

REMINDER: Before using any NGSS trademarks, third parties must submit samples of proposed uses to the NextGenScience project team for review. Requests should be sent to the following email address: nextgenscience@wested.org. Please allow 4-6 weeks for processing.

Citing the Next Generation Science Standards 

To appropriately cite the Next Generation Science Standards, use the following:

Web version

  • Authors: NGSS Lead States
  • Title: Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States (insert specific section title(s) being used if not referring to entirety of the NGSS)
  • Copyright Date: 2013

Print version:

Suggested citation: NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.