This license does not give you the right to use DeepSeek's trademarks or brand name, except as minimally necessary to describe or distribute the model as required by the attribution provisions.
This analysis describes what DeepSeek's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology
The agreement simultaneously requires the use of 'DeepSeek-V3' in derivative model names and limits trademark use, creating a tension between the attribution requirements and the trademark restriction that licensees must navigate carefully.
Interpretive note: The boundary between permissible descriptive use and prohibited trademark use is not precisely defined in the agreement and may require trademark law analysis on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis.
The agreement prohibits trademark use beyond description and redistribution, which means organizations cannot use the DeepSeek brand in marketing or product positioning beyond the mandatory attribution disclosure, though the boundary between permissible attribution and prohibited trademark use may require case-by-case assessment.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle No Trademark License and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →Monitoring
DeepSeek has changed this document before.
Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 10 platforms.
"No trademark licenses are granted under this Agreement, and in connection with the Model Materials, you may not use the name or marks of DeepSeek except as required for reasonable and customary use in describing and redistributing the Model Materials.— Excerpt from DeepSeek's DeepSeek Open Source License
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Trademark law in the EU (EU Trade Mark Regulation) and the US (Lanham Act) governs permissible trademark use. The tension between mandatory attribution naming requirements and the no-trademark-license clause may require trademark law analysis to determine permissible scope of use. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Low to Medium. The clause is standard in model licenses but creates interpretive complexity when read alongside the derivative naming requirement. Marketing and product teams should be briefed on the limits of permissible DeepSeek brand use. JURISDICTION FLAGS: Trademark law is jurisdiction-specific. EU and US trademark frameworks may define 'descriptive use' differently, which affects the permissible scope of DeepSeek-V3 name use in product contexts. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Marketing agreements and product launch documentation should be reviewed to ensure DeepSeek branding use falls within the descriptive use exception and does not constitute trademark infringement or breach of license. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Brand and legal teams should establish internal guidelines for how the DeepSeek-V3 name may be referenced in product materials, distinguishing between required attribution and prohibited trademark use.
Full compliance analysis
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Watcher: 10 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.
Professional Governance Intelligence
Need to monitor specific governance provisions?
Professional includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.
Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.
The agreement simultaneously requires the use of 'DeepSeek-V3' in derivative model names and limits trademark use, creating a tension between the attribution requirements and the trademark restriction that licensees must navigate carefully.
The agreement prohibits trademark use beyond description and redistribution, which means organizations cannot use the DeepSeek brand in marketing or product positioning beyond the mandatory attribution disclosure, though the boundary between permissible attribution and prohibited trademark use may require case-by-case assessment.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by DeepSeek.