ShareThis, Inc., the ShareThis Button , and Innovating Online Sharing

In 2006 Alex King introduced an innovative new Web icon in the form of the ShareThis Button (“Share Button,” “ button”) to be used in association with sharing online content. Today, ShareThis, Inc., (“ShareThis”) owns and maintains the  button and its associated services. ShareThis freely offers the  button and associated widgets, applications, and toolbars for publishers, bloggers, advertisers, Web surfers, and more to use with their sites and applications. In doing so, ShareThis provides users and their audience the most reliable and innovative sharing platform available online and via mobile devices. The ShareThis suite of solutions for advertisers and publishers inspires people to do more of what is the foundation of digital life-to share.

To facilitate ease of use, consistency in the user experience, and the highest quality in multiple-source and destination sharing, ShareThis offers its  button, tools, applications, and other widgets and toolbars for general use without requiring a formal trademark or service license. Instead, ShareThis provides these easy to follow Usage Guidelines for users to observe. ShareThis considers use in accordance with these Guidelines to be licensed use and monitors that use to maintain standards.

ShareThis, Inc., expects all users of its buttons, tools, widgets, toolbars, applications, trademarks, and service marks to adhere to these guidelines. These guidelines are not all-inclusive, nor are they meant to be a straight jacket that restrains creativity and the sharing experience. If you have questions about appropriate use of the Share Button or other ShareThis products or services, contact us at feedback@sharethis.com.

Using the ShareThis Button: Usage Guidelines

These terms and conditions govern the use of the Share Button, namely that it be used to indicate Web users’ ability to share content via multiple-source and/or destination channels via a ShareThis application or service offering. While fully available royalty-free to Web site operators, publishers, advertisers, and Internet surfers alike for general use in connection with sharing content online via multiple-source and/or destination channels, by downloading and employing the Share Button, widget, toolbar, or other ShareThis product or service, users affirmatively commit to comply with these guidelines.

The canonical use of the Share Button is on a Web page containing information (e.g., blog posts, news articles, embedded content, etc.) to indicate that this content can be shared via multiple channels over a ShareThis platform by clicking on the  button. The Share Button also may be used in other contexts that involve sharing to multiple channels. For example, as long as the use involves online sharing and the ShareThis protocol for facilitating that sharing, the  button may be used as a menu icon, or incorporated as an icon that is part of a toolbar.

The Share Button, or confusingly similar icons, should not be used in the following contexts:

Sharing to a single channel or service;

In any way that would indicate, imply, or convey to a casual observer, consumer, or otherwise, that the Share Button, widget, toolbar, or other ShareThis product or service is exclusively or primarily associated with a particular application or Web site. That includes incorporation of the Share Button, widget, toolbar, or other ShareThis product or service as part of an application icon, a Web site logo (including a favicon), or in any other way that would imply or convey an exclusive, primary, or even a derivative association of the Share Button, widget, toolbar, or other ShareThis product or service with a particular application or Web site not owned or controlled by ShareThis, Inc.;

Except as discussed in these guidelines, the  mark is intended to stand alone and should not be integrated into other logos. So, the  mark should not be used as a trademark or service mark, or incorporated as part of a trademark or service mark, in a manner where it is, would be, or could be associated with a particular individual, organization, product, or service, or in any other way that would imply, indicate, or convey to a casual observer, consumer, or otherwise, that the Share Button, widget, toolbar, or other ShareThis product or service was exclusively or primarily associated with a particular individual, company or organization, product, or service not owned or controlled by ShareThis, Inc.

Some More Visual guidelines:

The Share Button should be displayed in its entirety on either a solid light or dark background (avoid mid-tone or strongly colored backgrounds). The button should not be displayed in separate parts, in pieces, or with other elements superimposed on top of it.

The Share Button should be displayed at a size that is both large enough to render it legible to its intended users and compatible with the size of any other text elements on the Web site or in the application.

The Share Button may be displayed using the colors black and white (e.g., “”grey”“) in contexts where color reproduction is not possible. Also, the button may be used with the colors of the inverse (e.g., white used instead of green and vice versa), as long as there is adequate contrast between the background and foreground colors.

When used as an element in a user interface (e.g., as a toolbar button), the  button should be displayed in a manner consistent with other user interface elements and any applicable user interface standards (e.g., for the underlying operating system and/or window system).

The Share Button should not be displayed in modified forms inconsistent with the above guidelines or in ways that visually compromise it. In particular, the  button should not be displayed:

  • In a different or varied orientation (e.g., rotated or flipped relative to the standard orientation depicted here: )
  • With the rounded square element of the icon replaced by a circle, triangle, or any shape other than that used in the  mark itself.
  • With the corners of the button squared off and pointed rather than rounded.
  • With any distortion or warping of the button.
  • Watermarked or “ghosted” behind type of any kind.

Please note that these guidelines regarding size and color are not intended to restrict the ways in which the Share Button might be represented by assistive technologies designed for use by people with impaired vision. (Such technologies include software to magnify the contents of the screen and/or change screen colors, contrast, and brightness; alternative stylesheets for Web sites; and the like.)

Note also that these guidelines are not intended to discourage other uses of the Share Button that conform to the spirit of these directions for use. Such cases include using different colors for the  button, where appropriate (e.g., in matching a site theme), or using the Share Button in combination with other icons of a compatible style and nature (e.g., to identify the type of share being offered). Any such use shall inure to the benefit of ShareThis. Even still, in the interest of providing a consistent experience for users, providers of sharing services and other goods and services should make minimum use of alternative representations of the Share Button.

As owner of the Share Button, the mark, and its widget, toolbar, and other ShareThis products and services, ShareThis, Inc., retains all right, title, and interest in and to the Share Button, its other product and service offerings, and related trademarks and service marks. ShareThis, Inc., retains the exclusive right to use the Share Button as a primary application icon, Web site logo (including a favicon), and/or as a trademark, service mark, or trade name. ShareThis, Inc., retains the right to inspect any and all uses and implementations of the Share Button, widget, toolbar, and ShareThis products and services, to make inquiries about such uses and implementations, and to approve or disapprove uses and implementations to ensure they conform to these guidelines, meet ShareThis, Inc.’s, standards, and are implemented in accordance with ShareThis, Inc.’s, various rights in and to the Share Button, the “” mark, and its other products and services. ANY UNAUTHORIZED OR OFFENDING USE OF A SHARETHIS, INC., PROPRIETARY MARK, PRODUCT, OR SERVICE MAY RESULT IN LEGAL ACTION.

Last Updated 29 August 2013