Is Omarchy a trademark? The registration facts
OMARCHY is a registered US trademark of 37signals LLC, not pending, registered 12 May 2026 in Class 9. What that means for community sites, plugins, and themes that use the name.
Yes. OMARCHY is a registered trademark on the USPTO Principal Register (Reg. No. 8250209, serial 99322411), registered 12 May 2026 for operating-system software, owned by 37signals LLC. The official brand page still says "pending trademark", but the registration issued four months ago. No assignment to the Omacom Foundation is on the public register yet.
On this page
The record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Mark | OMARCHY (standard characters) |
| US serial | 99322411, filed 6 August 2025 |
| US registration | 8250209, registered 12 May 2026 |
| Register | Principal |
| Class | International Class 9: downloadable computer operating system software |
| Basis | Section 1(a), use in commerce; first use 4 July 2024 |
| Owner of record | 37signals LLC, 137 N Oak Park Ave, Suite 208, Oak Park, Illinois |
| International | Madrid IR 1879867 (designations include Canada, the EU, and the UK) |
| Assignment to the Omacom Foundation | None recorded as of September 2026 |
Source: the USPTO TSDR record linked below. Check it yourself; registers change.
What the project has actually said
- omarchy.org/brand offers logo files and says only: “Omarchy is a pending trademark. All rights reserved. Write foundation@omarchy.org for partnerships.” That wording predates the registration.
- omarchy.org/foundation says the Foundation holds the trademarks. The public register does not yet show that.
- omarchy.org/meetups is the only written guidance on using the name: a meetup called “Omarchy Copenhagen” is fine; do not imply you are Omarchy itself, the Foundation, or an authorized representative; disclose sponsorships; do not turn the name into an events business or a sales pitch.
- DHH’s Ruby on Rails policy, the closest precedent from the same author, explicitly allows community sites and groups to use the mark in their names with a footer disclaimer, and reserves merchandise.
What has been enforced
One case. omarchy.net, an AI-generated clone of the official site’s design that offered a random ZIP download, was flagged by the community as impersonation in July 2026 and was put on registrar hold in August 2026. Disclaimed community sites, including ones with the word in the domain, have not been touched. Two community projects (the plugin marketplace and the theming tool aether) were adopted into the official GitHub organization rather than shut down.
What this site does about it
Every page carries a disclaimer, no official logo appears anywhere, nothing is hosted for download, and the domain is available to the Foundation on request. See about.
Questions people ask
- Can I use "Omarchy" in my project or site name?
- The project has published no written policy. In practice, hundreds of plugins and themes use omarchy-<name>, community sites use the word in domains with a disclaimer, and none has been challenged. The meetups page says naming a meetup "Omarchy Copenhagen" is fine as long as you do not imply you are Omarchy itself. Do not use the logo, do not imply official status, and do not sell merchandise under the name.
- Who owns the Omarchy trademark?
- 37signals LLC of Oak Park, Illinois is the owner of record at the USPTO. omarchy.org states the Omacom Foundation holds the trademarks, but as of September 2026 no assignment is recorded.
- Does the registration cover merchandise?
- No. It covers International Class 9 only (downloadable operating-system software). Merchandise is sold officially at supply.37signals.com, and DHH's Rails policy treats merchandise as reserved, so treat it as off limits regardless.