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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 the list view of 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, 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.

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 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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