SMSNA Trademark Policy

Effective Date: 10/1/2026

The Sexual Medicine Society of North America (“SMSNA”) owns the SMSNA and SEXUAL MEDICINE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA names, its circular and horizontal institutional logos, and other trademarks, service marks, logos, trade dress, and program designations owned by SMSNA (collectively, the “SMSNA Marks”). This Policy sets the terms for using the SMSNA Marks with SMSNA’s permission, in print, online, or any other medium.

1. Permission and Acceptance

By using an SMSNA Mark with permission under this Policy or otherwise granted by SMSNA, you agree to comply with this Policy. Compliance is a condition of that permission.

Permission is limited and nonexclusive. You may not transfer it or give anyone else independent permission to use the SMSNA Marks. It covers only the marks, purposes, and activities approved. Permission for one use does not authorize another use or extend automatically to other people or organizations. SMSNA may revoke permission or impose additional conditions as provided in Sections 8 and 9.

2. Ownership and Goodwill

SMSNA retains all ownership rights in the SMSNA Marks. All authorized use of the SMSNA Marks and all resulting goodwill inure exclusively to SMSNA’s benefit. Use, membership, sponsorship, promotion, or expenditure gives you no ownership or independent priority rights.

You must not claim ownership of an SMSNA Mark or adopt, use, register, or attempt to register an SMSNA Mark or a confusingly similar mark or identifier as your own. To the extent permitted by law, you must not challenge SMSNA’s ownership of or rights in the SMSNA Marks, challenge their validity, or help anyone else do so. You must reasonably cooperate with SMSNA’s efforts to document authorized use and protect its rights.

3. Member Identification

Current members in good standing may use the SMSNA and SEXUAL MEDICINE SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA names and SMSNA’s official circular and horizontal institutional logos solely to identify their membership in professional profiles and materials. No individual approval is needed for uses that comply with this Policy.

The presentation must identify the member by name and clearly state the membership relationship. Show any logo with the member’s name and nearby wording identifying membership in SMSNA. On a practice, employer, or institutional website, make clear that the membership belongs to the named individual—not the organization or its other personnel. The logo must not dominate the page or material and must be less prominent than the member’s name and any practice branding.

This permission does not allow you to use an SMSNA Mark as the brand for your business, products, treatments, or services. It does not cover program-specific logos, fellowship designations, or other special recognitions.

4. Programs and Other Authorized Uses

Other uses of SMSNA logos, and use of SMSNA Marks to identify a sponsored, endorsed, affiliated, or jointly offered activity, require prior written permission from the SMSNA Executive Office or another representative authorized by SMSNA to approve trademark use.

SMSNA may grant permission by email or in official program or sponsorship materials. Approval covers only the specified marks, materials, purpose, and period. Material changes to an approved use require renewed approval.

SMSNA Fellows, endorsed fellowship programs, Regional Interest Groups, sponsors, collaborators, and other approved participants may use only the marks and designations approved for their status or activity. They must also follow applicable program requirements. Approval of a program or group does not authorize unrelated uses by its participants.

Do not present membership, completion of training, a certificate, fellowship status, or program endorsement as equivalent qualifications.

5. Names, Artwork, and Presentation

Use SMSNA’s names accurately and use only current official artwork that SMSNA has supplied or published for your authorized use. Replace or stop using earlier versions when SMSNA directs.

Do not redraw, distort, crop, recolor, rearrange, or combine a logo with another design without SMSNA’s approval. You may resize a logo proportionately if it remains clear and legible. Keep SMSNA Marks separate from your own branding and follow SMSNA’s presentation and attribution instructions.

Do not remove required trademark notices or add the ® symbol unless SMSNA directs you to do so.

Without express permission, do not include an SMSNA Mark in a business name, product or service name, program name, domain name, social-media handle, app name, or other identifier for your own business or activities. Do not use an SMSNA Mark or a confusingly similar term as a keyword or other trigger for paid advertising without SMSNA’s prior written approval. Do not use SMSNA Marks in metatags or other metadata in a way that misrepresents your relationship with SMSNA.

6. No False Endorsement or Attribution

Do not misrepresent your relationship with SMSNA or suggest any endorsement, recommendation, certification, accreditation, approval, or guarantee that SMSNA has not expressly provided.

Membership, sponsorship, advertising, financial support, a grant, or participation in an SMSNA event does not itself mean that SMSNA approves a provider, business, product, device, treatment, procedure, medical claim, or outcome. Describe any authorized endorsement or recognition only within its approved scope. Include any statement SMSNA requires to clarify the nature or limits of its permission or your relationship with SMSNA.

Do not attribute statements, conclusions, or recommendations to SMSNA unless SMSNA has adopted them. The views of individual authors, speakers, members, or sponsors do not become SMSNA’s official position merely because they appear in an associated publication or event. References to SMSNA publications or guidance must accurately describe their conclusions and must not imply approval of a particular commercial offering.

7. Standards and Review

SMSNA retains control over the nature and quality of goods, services, materials, programs, and activities offered under its licensed marks. You must comply with applicable laws, relevant professional requirements, and standards communicated by SMSNA.

Materials displaying SMSNA Marks must be accurate, professionally presented, and consistent with the permitted purpose. Educational or medical-information services offered under a licensed SMSNA Mark must be provided by appropriately qualified people and supported by appropriate scientific evidence.

SMSNA may review your use, verify eligibility, request representative materials and relevant information, and require corrections, clarifications, or withdrawal. You must cooperate and comply within the period SMSNA specifies.

For membership-identification uses, review concerns membership status and how the relationship is presented. It does not constitute certification of the member’s clinical practice.

You are responsible for compliance by employees, website providers, and others using SMSNA Marks on your behalf.

If you become aware of any unauthorized use of the SMSNA Marks by a third party, or any use that you believe infringes or dilutes the SMSNA Marks, you must promptly notify the SMSNA Executive Office.

8. Withdrawal and Cessation

Permission to identify membership ends when membership or good standing ends. Other permissions end when the applicable authorization, qualifying status, or approved period ends.

SMSNA may limit, suspend, or revoke permission at its discretion by notifying you. Reasons may include noncompliance, misleading use, failure to meet applicable standards, or a reasonable determination that continued use could harm the SMSNA Marks or their goodwill. SMSNA may discontinue a category of permitted use on reasonable notice.

When permission ends, immediately stop new uses of the affected marks and stop distributing materials that bear them. Remove existing displays from materials and locations under your control within 30 days, or sooner if SMSNA directs. Require anyone acting on your behalf to do the same and confirm compliance in writing if requested.

If a change in your status or the end of your permission makes a third party’s display of an SMSNA Mark inaccurate or unauthorized, promptly notify that party and request correction or removal. This includes any employer, practice, or other party you know is displaying the mark to identify your status.

SMSNA’s failure to object to a particular use does not constitute approval or waiver. SMSNA reserves all rights and remedies. You acknowledge that unauthorized or noncompliant use of the SMSNA Marks may cause irreparable harm to SMSNA for which monetary damages would be inadequate. SMSNA may seek injunctive or other equitable relief. To the extent permitted by law, you waive any requirement that SMSNA post a bond or other security in connection with that relief.

9. Policy Changes and Governing Law

SMSNA may update this Policy or impose additional conditions on authorized uses after notice. Continuing users must comply with the updated requirements by the date SMSNA specifies. A specific written authorization takes precedence only where it expressly changes a requirement of this Policy.

This Policy is governed by applicable United States federal law and, where state law applies, Minnesota law, without applying conflict-of-laws rules that would require another state’s law.

10. Indemnification and Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you must defend, indemnify, and hold harmless SMSNA and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from claims, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising from or relating to your use of the SMSNA Marks. This includes use that violates this Policy or infringes another party’s rights. You may not settle a covered claim in a way that imposes an obligation on SMSNA, admits wrongdoing by SMSNA, or limits its rights without SMSNA’s written consent. The obligations in this Section 10, Sections 2 and 8, and any accrued obligations survive the termination or expiration of permission under this Policy.

The SMSNA Marks and permission to use them are provided “as is.” To the fullest extent permitted by law, SMSNA makes no express or implied warranties regarding the marks, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or noninfringement.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, SMSNA is not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages arising from or relating to this Policy or your use of the SMSNA Marks.

11. Contact

Send permission requests, questions, and reports of suspected misuse to the SMSNA Executive Office using the contact information on SMSNA’s website.

All rights not expressly granted are reserved.

If any provision of this Policy is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force, and the unenforceable provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable while preserving its original intent.

If you have any questions, please contact the SMSNA Executive Office - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.