Intellectual Property Policy

Purpose
The Used Truck Association (“UTA”) name, logos, trademarks, service marks, and other brand assets (collectively, the “UTA Marks”) represent the integrity, professionalism, and reputation of the Association and its members. This policy establishes the standards governing the use of UTA intellectual property to protect the Association’s brand while allowing members to accurately identify their affiliation with the UTA.
 
This policy also establishes a limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license for eligible members to use the designated UTA Member logo solely as authorized below. UTA retains all right, title, and interest in and to the UTA Marks, including all goodwill associated with their use.
 
Authorized Use
Upon confirmation of membership in good standing and payment of applicable dues, UTA may provide the member with the current, annual UTA Member logo and authorization to use it. The authorization ends automatically upon expiration, suspension, termination, or nonrenewal of membership, unless UTA provides written notice otherwise.
 
Current UTA members in good standing may:
  1. Display the official current-year UTA Member logo in email signatures, websites, marketing materials, social media, business cards, trade show displays, and promotional materials, solely to communicate the member’s current affiliation with UTA.
  2. State that they are a “Member of the Used Truck Association.”
  3. Promote their membership in UTA, provided such use complies with this policy.
  4. Use only official UTA Member-logo artwork provided directly by the Association.
  5. Use the UTA Member logo only in a professional, lawful, and commercially appropriate manner that is consistent with UTA’s mission, reputation, and brand standards.
  6. Ensure that the member’s own company name and logo are visually distinct from, and more prominent than, the UTA Member logo.
**NOTE: UTA may update the annual member logo, related artwork, or these guidelines at any time. Members must promptly discontinue use of superseded artwork upon UTA’s written request or as specified in annual renewal materials.
 
Prohibited Uses
Unless expressly authorized in writing by an authorized UTA representative designated by the Board of Directors, no individual or organization may:
  1. Use any UTA logo, name, trademark, or brand in a manner that suggests UTA endorsement, sponsorship, certification, approval, or recommendation of any company, product, service, event, or publication.
  2. Represent or imply that they are speaking or acting on behalf of UTA.
  3. Create social media accounts, websites, newsletters, or publications that appear to represent UTA or its official positions.
  4. Use the UTA name or logo in any misleading, deceptive, defamatory, unlawful, confusing, or otherwise inappropriate manner.
  5. Incorporate the UTA name or trademarks into a company name, trade name, domain name, social-media handle, product name, service name, or other business identity.
  6. Alter, modify, distort, redraw, animate, recolor, abbreviate, crop, rearrange, or create derivative versions of any UTA logo or mark.
  7. Sell, license, sublicense, transfer, assign, or permit others to use the UTA Marks.
  8. Continue using UTA Marks after membership has expired, lapsed, been suspended, or terminated.
  9. Use the UTA Member logo on or in connection with products, product packaging, warranties, certifications, awards, price sheets, financing materials, or guarantees in a manner that could imply UTA approval, inspection, certification, or responsibility.
  10. Use UTA Marks in political campaign materials, lobbying materials, fundraising solicitations, or charitable promotions without prior written approval from UTA.
  11. Use UTA Marks in a manner that disparages UTA, infringes another party’s rights, or otherwise may damage UTA’s reputation or goodwill.
No Implied Endorsement
UTA membership does not constitute an endorsement of a member’s products, services, opinions, business practices, employees, or customers.
 
Members may not state or imply that:
  1. Their products or services are “UTA approved,” “UTA certified,” “UTA endorsed,” or similarly authorized by UTA, unless UTA has separately granted express written permission.
  2. UTA recommends or endorses their business.
  3. Their views represent official UTA policy unless specifically authorized inwriting by the Board of Directors or its designated representative.
  4. UTA has inspected, guaranteed, evaluated, or otherwise verified a member’s inventory, products, services, transactions, or business practices.
Social Media Guidelines
Members are encouraged to promote their participation in UTA. However:
  1. Personal and company social-media accounts must clearly represent the views of the individual or company—not UTA.
  2. The use of UTA logos or references must not imply an official UTA communication.
  3. Only authorized UTA representatives may issue official statements or positions on behalf of the Association.
  4. Members may identify themselves as UTA members in profile biographies and posts, provided the context does not suggest UTA endorsement of the member’s business, inventory, products, services, or views.
  5. Members may not use “Used Truck Association,” “UTA,” or confusingly similar terms as all or part of a social-media account name, page name, handle, group name, or hashtag campaign without prior written approval.
Trademark Notice
When using the UTA name or approved logos in advertising, promotional materials, websites, brochures, or other publicly distributed materials, members should include the following notice whenever practical:
“Used Truck Association” and the UTA logos are trademarks of the Used Truck Association and are used with permission.
 
Businesses displaying UTA branding at their physical locations should display the same notice whenever practical.
 
Logo Standards
When using approved UTA logos:
  1. Use only artwork supplied by UTA.
  2. Maintain the original proportions and do not stretch, compress, rotate, crop, recolor, redraw, or otherwise modify the logo.
  3. Maintain adequate clear space surrounding the logo. The minimum clear space shall equal the height of the letter “U” in the UTA logo.
  4. When the words “Used Truck Association” accompany the logo, they shall appear in Franklin Gothic in either black or white. Members may not create substitute lockups, taglines, or accompanying text treatments without UTA’s prior written approval.
  5. Members shall use only the official current-year “UTA Member” logo to identify membership.
  6. Do not substitute the official UTA corporate logo for the designated member logo.
  7. Do not place the logo on distracting backgrounds that reduce visibility or legibility.
  8. Do not add effects such as shadows, outlines, gradients, or animations.
  9. Do not place the UTA Member logo inside, adjacent to, or combined with the member’s own logo in a way that creates a composite mark or suggests a joint venture, partnership, sponsorship, or endorsement.
  10. Do not use the UTA Member logo at a size or resolution that makes it illegible, pixelated, or otherwise inconsistent with a professional presentation.
The draft’s annual member-logo concept is sensible because it gives UTA an operational way to verify active status, but it should be paired with a clear end date and a requirement to remove obsolete logos promptly. A member’s own identity should remain dominant and visually separate from UTA’s mark.
 
Official Brand Colors
  1. UTA Blue
    RGB: 0 / 121 / 194
    HEX: #0079C2
    CMYK: 100 / 44 / 0 / 0
    PMS: 3005
  2. Members should use the official color version supplied by UTA whenever feasible. If color reproduction is unavailable or impracticable, members may use only an official one-color black or white version supplied by UTA.
  3. Members may not create alternative color versions or use the UTA Member logo in colors not authorized by UTA.
Permission Requests
Any proposed use outside the scope of this policy—including advertising campaigns, sponsorships, co-branding, commercial promotions, publications, educational materials, merchandise, awards, events, or other special uses—requires prior written approval from UTA.
 
Requests must be submitted to [designated UTA staff title/email: NEED to Know WHO that will be] and include: (1) the requesting organization and contact information; (2) a description and purpose of the proposed use; (3) all proposed artwork, copy, mockups, or digital links; (4) the intended audience, channels, and duration; and (5) any third parties involved.
 
Approval is effective only when issued in writing/email by an authorized UTA representative. Approval for one use does not authorize any other use, and UTA may condition approval on changes to artwork, wording, placement, duration, or other quality-control requirements.
 
Enforcement and Revocation
UTA reserves the right to require prompt correction or removal of any unauthorized or improper use of its intellectual property.
 
UTA may monitor use of its Marks and may request reasonable samples, screenshots, links, or other evidence of a member’s use to confirm compliance with this policy.
 
Failure to comply with this policy may result in:
  1. Written notice of violation.
  2. A requirement to correct or discontinue the noncompliant use within the time period stated by UTA.
  3. Revocation of permission to use UTA Marks.
  4. Suspension or termination of membership privileges.
  5. Other remedies available under applicable trademark and intellectual-property law.
  6. Recovery, where permitted by law, of costs or damages resulting from unauthorized use.
Upon expiration, suspension, termination, revocation, or written request from UTA, the member must immediately cease all use of the UTA Marks and remove them from websites, social-media accounts, digital materials, advertising, signage, and other materials under the member’s control. Members must confirm compliance upon request.
 
The UTA Board of Directors, or its duly designated representative, retains sole authority to interpret this policy, grant or deny exceptions, modify brand requirements, and revoke permission to use UTA Marks at any time.