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Training Course Naming Guidelines

This page contains guidance for determining the name of a training course, for the purposes of advertising and promoting the course, and consequently for accreditation. If you have further queries on course naming and/or trademark usage  please contact The Open Group Legal Team [legal (at) opengroup (dot) org].

A training course is a product, so The Open Group trademark usage guidelines of the appropriate commercial license apply. For general guidance on trademark usage see The Open Group Legal web pages.

For example, The Open Group commercial license will have the following statement:

  • The <trademark name> trademark may not be used in conjunction with product names, domain names, app names, business names, logos and similar usage without prior permission from The Open Group.

This page is provided to give further clarification as related to training course naming.

Application for accreditation is taken as a request for permission to use the course name submitted. The Certification Authority will review course names in conjunction if appropriate with The Open Group Legal team. If the proposed name is not acceptable, the Certification Authority will let you know, will refer you to these guidelines, and may provide suggestions for amendments.

 

Guidelines for Course Naming:

  • The name of a training course is a product name, and permission must be obtained from The Open Group for any use of a trademark owned by The Open Group in the name of a course.
  • If the use of a trademark in a course name is approved, the trademark must be accompanied by the correct trademark or registered trademark symbol: ArchiMate® training, IT4IT™ training, Open FAIR™ training, TOGAF® training.
  • In deciding how to name its course(s), Trainer shall take the following into account:
    • (a) Only an Accredited course may have a trademark of The Open Group in its name and only then if permission from The Open Group has been sought and given.
    • (b) The Open Group trademarks may be used in subtitles and in descriptive material without permission from The Open Group as long as the trademark and attribution are acknowledged, and the trademark usage guidelines are followed.
    •  (c) Products or services that include The Open Group trademarks in the name of the product or service will require certification or accreditation by The Open Group before permission will be given.
  • Accredited Training Course Providers may offer accredited and non-accredited courses at the same time as long as they comply with the terms of the applicable Commercial License and the applicable Trademark License Agreement ("Accreditation TMLA").
  • The use of The Open Group Accreditation Logo in relation to courses that have not been accredited is a breach of the Accreditation TMLA. The use of the logos without an executed Accreditation TMLA is an infringement of the trademark.

 

Use of the Training Course name

The name of an Accredited Training Course is identified in the legal agreements and displayed on the ATC register. This ATC name must be the same name that is used in marketing materials to enable candidates to determine that the advertised course is the course that is accredited and listed in the Accredited Training Course register. An Accredited Training Course name change must be formally submitted to the Certification Authority.

 

Questions and Answers

Q. May I use the word Certification in the course name, for example, IT4IT™ Foundation Certification Training?

A. No, the certification process is owned by The Open Group as Certification Authority. Courses accredited by The Open Group do not directly result in a certification but help candidates prepare for an examination which is a pre-requisite for and leads to certification.

Q. May I use the word Certified in the course name?

A. Certified may only be used in relation to ArchiMate 2 or TOGAF 9 courses that prepare people for Level 2 certification (e.g., ArchiMate® 2 Certified training, TOGAF® 9 Certified training).

Q. May I use the words Accredited or Accreditation in the course name, for example, Accredited IT4IT™ Training or IT4IT™ Accreditation Training?

A. No, the accreditation process is owned by The Open Group. Accreditation applies to courses and products in general; it does not apply to individuals. A training organization that wishes to promote the fact that its course is accredited should use the The Open Group Accreditation Logo and appropriate attribution statements as identified in the Trademark Usage Guidelines section of the Accreditation TMLA when advertising or promoting the course.

Q: May I use "The Open Group" in the course name?

A: No. All courses accredited by The Open Group must meet the same general requirements. The Open Group does not endorse any specific training courses, therefore, The Open Group may not be used in course names.

Q: May I use the Standard version in a TOGAF course name e.g. 9.2?

A: No. The full version (9) is the version mentioned on the certificates candidates receive. Using 9.2 would be confusing and would lead to wrong expectations. Candidates can opt in for a TOGAF Standard, Version 9.2 Open Badge to reflect that they have achieved a certification against the TOGAF Standard, Version 9.2 or have updated. Find out more.

Q: May I use a credential name in the course name?

A: Yes. Credential names are encouraged for courses leading to the Credential, for example, "TOGAF® Essentials 2018".