 "Instagram bans using the words 'Insta' and 'Gram' for third-party apps")
Instagram is cracking the whip on third-party applications, getting strict about keeping its name untouched. The photo-sharing application has updated its brand guidelines to ban applications that have either the word “Insta” or “Gram” within their names and is starting to send out mails to developers, informing them of the same.
The service’s terms earlier allowed applications to use either Insta or Gram – but not both – to name their third-party services. Now, the Facebook-owned Instagram seems to have had a change of heart and has disallowed both words from app names. Applications including gallery viewers, add-on tools like frames and stickers for Instagram as well as certain third-party apps had been using variations of the original name to have some kind of a connect with the audience. Unfortunately, they will have to come up with a quick solution to change their names.
No love for Insta or Gram (Image Credit: Nokia Innovation)
According to a mail sent to the developers of Luxogram, developers have been given a time of 48 hours to reply to the email sent by Instagram, after which they’ll be given a “reasonable period” of time to change their components. “While we encourage developers to build great apps with Instagram, we cannot allow other applications to look like they might be official Instagram applications or endorsed or sponsored by us,” reads the mail. “As we hope you can appreciate, protection of its well-known trademarks is very important to Instagram. For example, it has always been against our guidelines to use a name that sounds or looks like “Instagram” or copies the look and feel of our application. Similarly, as we have clarified in the new guidelines, use of ‘INSTA’ and ‘GRAM’ for an application that works with Instagram is harmful to the Instagram brand. It is important that you develop your own distinctive branding for your applications, and use Instagram’s trademarks only as specifically authorized under our policies.”
While this name change policy will not cause too much of a disruption on Android or iOS, Windows Phone seems to have been given the short-stick by Instagram again. Users of the platform have been waiting with bated breath to hear the service announce a Windows Phone variant of the app, but it seems to be taking way too long for Instagram to develop it. The users are having to make-do with third-party applications that let them post onto their Instagram profiles in a limited capacity, but now these apps will have to suffer because Instagram does not want any confusion over its name. Earlier, Windows Phone application Itsdagram had to be renamed on complaints made by Instagram. In fact, the upcoming application 6tagram has already renamed itself to 6tag thanks to the change in name move by Instagram. The service could be taking things a little too far with the new policy, we believe.
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