What is BIMI?
Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) is the new kid on the email block – think of it as a VIP pass for your brand in the inbox world. It is a global authentication standard that lets organisations display their verified brand logo next to an email in supported inboxes.
BIMI is like putting your logo on the guest list for the email world. It lets your verified brand logo appear right next to your emails in supported inboxes – making your messages instantly recognisable and harder for scammers to copy thereby enhancing consumer trust. While BIMI looks like a marketing win, it is also a serious intellectual property (IP) tool. It’s about protecting your brand, proving you own it and making sure only you can use it in this way.
Brands earn verified status after meeting strict technical requirements and passing approval checks. As of July 2024, major providers such as Apple, Google and Yahoo support BIMI and it is rapidly becoming the industry standard in email security and brand recognition.
Why BIMI is more than just pixels in an inbox
BIMI is not just about pretty pictures in inboxes: it is about ownership and rights. To get your logo displayed, you need to prove you have the legal right to use it. This is because many email providers now require a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) before they will show your logo. That is where trade marks come in.
In New Zealand, trade marks are covered by the Trade Marks Act 2002. If you register your logo, you get exclusive rights to use it for the goods and services you have registered it for. This makes it much easier to stop others from using your logo without permission and meet VMC requirements.
So why go to all this effort?
There are multiple benefits to BIMI that go beyond aesthetics:
- Brand recognition: your logo gets prime real estate in the recipient's inbox
- Security and compliance: linking your logo to verified authentication protocols helps prevent email fraud, phishing threats and other scams
- Consumer confidence and reputation: verified logos signal legitimacy, increasing trust and engagement
- Commercial impact: visual branding in email engages consumer recall and can influence consumers' purchasing decisions.
Ultimately, BIMI is a practical way to bring legal ownership and technical control together so your brand is both visible and protected in the inbox.
Why BIMI is important for New Zealand businesses
BIMI is becoming a global standard in email authentication and brand identification, combining marketing visibility with robust IP protection and email security. For New Zealand businesses, it offers a way to safeguard trade marks, enhance compliance and build trust with customers.
If you are considering BIMI implementation or need advice on trade mark registration and Verified Mark Certificates, please contact a member of Buddle Findlay’s IP team for guidance.
Co-authored by Amy Irvine (Solicitor).
