GMAC Trademarks

Graduate Management Admission Council and its subsidiaries have a global portfolio of brand assets, many of which are protected as trademarks in the United States and other countries. The following is a non-exhaustive list of trademarks owned by Graduate Management Admission Council and its subsidiaries. The omission of any trademark, product name, service name, logo, or other brand asset from this list does not constitute a waiver of any trademark, intellectual property, or other rights associated with that brand asset.

This list below includes a suggested generic term for each trademark. When referring to GMAC products and services, please include an appropriate generic term after the trademark. These generic terms are only suggestions, and there may be other words that are equally appropriate.

Both GMAC and Graduate Management Admission Council are trade names as well as trademarks.

• Trade names are the names businesses use to self-identify.
• Trademarks identify a unique product or service.

When to Use Trademark Symbols

• Use them when referring to a specific GMAC or GMAT product.
• Omit them when referring to the council as an organization.

Using Apostrophes

• A trade name can be a possessive.
• A trademark cannot.

Trademarks are proper adjectives. They should be followed by an associated noun and should never be altered in any way.

Common Trademark Use Errors

• Making them possessive
• Adding a hyphen
• Changing to singular or plural

Learn more about proper trademark use by visiting the International Trademark Association website.

Graduate Management Admission Council trademarks function just as other trademarks do: they identify brand names. And just like other trademarks, it is important to reference them correctly. It is unlawful to misuse or exploit the use of GMAC and other GMAC trademarks. You can avoid missteps by referencing the following guidelines and requirements based on trademark laws in the United States and other countries.

Selection & Display

Select the appropriate trademark for the GMAC brand you are referencing, and clearly display the following trademark notice and disclaimer on the cover, title page, welcome screen, home page, packaging, labeling, or advertising of your publication, product, or website:

[Name of the GMAC trademark you selected] is a registered trademark of the Graduate Management Admission Council^™. The Graduate Management Admission Council does not endorse, and is not affiliated with the owner or content of [name your publication, product, or website].

Which Symbol to Use

• Use the registered trademark symbol ^® after the mark with all registered GMAC trademarks.
• Use the ^™ symbol after the mark with all other GMAC trademarks.

When & Where to Display Symbols

• In general: display symbols with the first or, preferably, the most prominent reference to a GMAC trademark on the front, back, and spines of book covers, CD (ROM) labels, and in each separate section, product packaging, title page, and software opening screen.
• In print materials: the symbol should appear with the GMAC mark on the first reference on the first page where the trademark term or phrase appears.
• On websites: the symbol should appear with the GMAC mark in page display names, in subheads, and on the first reference on each page where the mark appears. Each page is considered a separate “work,” because each page can be printed separately.

Correct Use of Trademarks

• Only use trademarks as adjectives, and follow them immediately with a generic noun. For example, GMAT^™ test or GMATPrep^™ software.
• Trademarks should never stand alone as a title and never be used as nouns in other contexts.
• Always use trademarks as they are registered.
• Hyphenating and making them possessive is not permitted.
• Visually separate your company name or trademark from any GMAC trademark that you reference to prevent GMAC products and services from being confused with your company’s work.
• Always show GMAC trademarks in plain block letters and avoid altering trademarks in any way, including:
  • Adding designs, stylized typeface, or making other transformations
  • Rendering them significantly more prominent than other words in a title or description
  • Making the font color different from that of other words in the title or description
• Do not make any GMAC trademark a part of your own business name, as part of a brand name for your products, or as part of your own trademarks.
• Test preparation companies are only allowed to use the GMAC trademarks in domain names and on websites to the extent necessary to identify the nature of the test preparation services being offered. Any other use of the GMAC trademarks is an infringement of GMAC trademark rights.
• GMAC trademarks can only be used with their products and services. (e.g. GMAT preparation can only be for the GMAT exam, not other exams)
• Use trademarks in their language of origin. Translating or transliterating trademarks violates trademark laws.

GMAC considers trademark infringement to be use any of the GMAC trademarks as part of your business name, as part of a brand name for your products or services, or as part of your own trademarks. This rule applies whether the mark is in English or another language. 

Test preparation companies can only use GMAC trademarks in their domain names and on their websites, as needed, to identify the services they offer. The trademarks can only be used for marketing and test preparation for GMAC assessments not for other assessments such as the GRE, CAT, etc. Incorporating GMAC trademarks into any other trademark is considered trademark infringement.

GMAC is committed to providing education about trademarks and their proper use. We are vigilant about our own intellectual property interests and strive to respect ours and others’ trademarks and others' intellectual property. Below is a list of trademarks and the organizations that own them which we commonly use on our websites: