Update (2026): This article records Gmail’s 2024 CMC announcement. Entrust exited mark-certificate issuance in 2025, so the historical co-authorship below does not identify a current issuer or purchasing route. Compare current VMC and CMC requirements before choosing a certificate.
In September 2024, Gmail announced support for Common Mark Certificates. The change gave eligible brands a route to BIMI logo display in Gmail without a registered trademark, based on at least 12 months of prior public logo use.
What did Gmail require for CMC-backed BIMI logos?
BIMI makes an eligible logo available for participating mailbox providers to display on authenticated mail. It requires DMARC enforcement at p=quarantine or p=reject with pct=100, or with pct omitted so it defaults to 100.
For Gmail’s CMC route, the logo does not need a registered trademark. The certification authority verifies that the applicant has displayed it publicly for at least 12 months on a domain the applicant controls.
What did Gmail’s CMC announcement change in practice?
Eligible senders gained another certificate path for logo display in Gmail. The CMC didn’t add Gmail’s blue checkmark, and the protection against exact-domain spoofing continued to come from DMARC enforcement rather than the certificate itself.
Compare current VMC and CMC requirements before choosing a certificate, or check whether the domain is ready for BIMI.
Jack leads content, PR, GEO, and email security research at Red Sift.