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  3. What is a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)?
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What is a Verified
Mark Certificate (VMC)?

What is a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)?

A Verified Mark Certificate, abbreviated VMC, is a special kind of digital certificate that allows organizations and individuals to display a trademarked logo in recipients' email inboxes next to the sender field.

A VMC is the last step in a chain of security and identity measures related to DMARC adoption. To acquire a VMC, the purchaser must demonstrate that their logo is legally trademarked with an approved trademarking body or granted by government decree, authenticate the physical identity of the purchaser through an in-person validation meeting, and confirm ownership of the email domain to which the VMC is issued. For logos that are not protected by a trademark or government action, see Common Mark Certificate.

VMCs are only displayed for senders that are maintaining enforcement of DMARC (Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance) policies and that have a BIMI record in their DNS. Companies are adopting DMARC with enforcement as a means of combatting unauthorized use (read: spoofing) of email domains, in order to protect both organization and recipients of that organization’s emails from identity-targeted attacks like spoofing and phishing.

VMCs enable the displayed logo to function as a visual identifier of an organization’s secure, validated identity and that the organization has adopted DMARC with enforcement.

How do I get a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC)?

In order to get a VMC, organizations must go through a series of validation procedures similar to getting an EV SSL certificate. During the process, an individual’s identity validation is required as well as face-to-face confirmation by a notary, lawyer or via a video call directly with a member of DigiCert’s validation team. DigiCert’s validation team will also have a video call with the applicant where they hold their ID in front of the camera. Finally, DigiCert must also validate that your logo is officially and legally trademarked and formatted correctly.

Learn more on the DigiCert Blog.

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