Dolby Trademark Usage on DVDs

1 Guidelines for Trademark Usage

DVD offers the ability to carry many audio soundtracks on a single disc. Up to eight
soundtracks may be included for each disc title, and the number of audio channels in
any soundtrack may vary from mono to stereo to multichannel depending on the
source material. The type of digital audio coding used may also vary based on disc
capacity, soundtrack length, and other factors. For these reasons it is important to
clearly indicate the audio contents of the disc to the consumer. These guidelines
describe methods for displaying this information on DVD packaging. Uniformity of
markings on DVDs will improve consumer understanding and satisfaction, and
reduce the need for customer support.
Please always refer to a current version of this document to ensure compliance. A
current markings guideline can be found at www.dolby.com/trademark.

2 Selecting the Correct Dolby Logo for DVDs

• When a DVD contains a Dolby® Digital soundtrack, regardless of the number of

audio channels, it should display the Dolby Digital logo:

1
Even if Dolby Digital is used to deliver a two-channel Dolby Surround soundtrack,
only the Dolby Digital logo shall appear.

NOTE: A license is required for the use of all Dolby trademarks. Please write to tsa@dolby.com to request a
Trademark and Standardization Agreement.
 Dolby Trademark Usage on DVDs

• When a DVD does not contain a Dolby Digital soundtrack but does contain a two-
channel Dolby Surround soundtrack, it should display the Dolby Surround logo:

4
• Under no circumstances may a DVD display both the Dolby Digital and Dolby
Surround logos.

The logo selection process is illustrated by the flowchart in Figure 1.

Figure 1 Dolby Logo Selection

2
 Dolby Trademark Usage on DVDs

2.1 Dolby Logo Usage

• Dolby logos shall be sized to ensure easy readability.

• Dolby logos may appear in black, white, blue, gold, or silver. Dolby logos must
be set on a background that renders the logo easily visible and clearly legible. A
single color must be used throughout the entire logo.

• Only one Dolby logo shall appear per package surface. If a logo appears on more
than one surface, it shall be the same logo in every case.

• The greatest dimension of a Dolby logo on a given surface shall not be less than
the greatest dimension of any other technical logo presented on the same surface.

• The logo shall have a minimum “clear area” on all sides, free of any other text or
logos. The “clear area” dimension shall be at least 50 percent of the overall logo
height, h, as shown in the shaded area in Figure 2. The logo height itself, h, shall
be at least 3 mm (1/8 inch). In other words, the absolute minimum height required
for the Dolby logo and its associated clear area is 6 mm (1/4 inch) (h + 0.5h above
+ 0.5h below, where h = 3 mm, or 1/8 inch). Note that the required clear area of
0.5h extends to the left and the right of the logo as well as the top and bottom.
0.5h

0.5h

0.5h
1
Figure 2 Clear Area for Dolby Logo

3
 Dolby Trademark Usage on DVDs

Logos should be placed on discs and packaging as shown in Figure 3.

Package Front Package Back

1n Dolby and the double-D symbol are
trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

1n Dolby and the double-D symbol are
trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

Disc Front

1n

Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

1n
Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

Figure 3 Placement of Dolby Logo and Sound Mode Icon on DVD Packaging and Discs

4
 Dolby Trademark Usage on DVDs

3 Dolby Logo Artwork

Dolby logo artwork is available without charge from Dolby in the form of TrueType
(TT), Adobe Type Manager® (ATM), and Encapsulated Post Script (EPS) files.
Please contact tsa@dolby.com for the files you need.

4 Trademark Acknowledgment

A trademark acknowledgment shall be displayed whenever Dolby logos or

trademarks are used. The acknowledgment shall be visible on an exposed surface of
the package, and identify only those Dolby trademarks used. The correct trademark
acknowledgment for DVDs using the Dolby Digital or Dolby Surround logo is:
Dolby and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories.

5 Advisory Notices

Use of the following notices is recommended to assure consumers that DVD

soundtracks are compatible with their existing audio systems. To be most effective,
these notices should be visible on the outer packaging.

5.1 Dolby Digital Notice

This notice should be applied when a DVD displays the 1 logo:

®
Dolby Digital soundtracks contain up to 5.1 channels of discrete audio.
Playback from two-channel DVD player outputs is compatible with
®
stereo and Dolby Surround Pro Logic reproduction.

5.2 Dolby Surround Notice

This notice should be applied when a DVD displays the 4 logo:

®
Dolby Surround soundtracks contain up to four channels of matrix
encoded audio. Playback from two-channel DVD player outputs is
®
compatible with stereo and Dolby Surround Pro Logic reproduction.

5
 Dolby Trademark Usage on DVDs

6 Indicating DVD Soundtrack Information

DVDs may contain a variety of soundtrack formats, making it a challenge to clearly

indicate the audio contents of the disc. To address this problem, Sound Mode icons
have been developed to represent the soundtrack configuration, from mono through
full 5.1-channel surround. Examples of their use are shown in Figure 4. If sufficient
space is available, the Sound Mode may alternatively be spelled out in the text, as
shown in Figure 5.
6.1 Sound Mode Icons
The sound mode icons shown in Table 1 are used to indicate the number of audio
channels in a soundtrack and the channel configuration. Icons are available from
Dolby Laboratories as TrueType (TT) or Adobe Type Manager (ATM) fonts.

Table 1 Sound Mode Icons

Icon Sound Mode

Mono
Stereo
Dolby Surround
Discrete surround
Quad surround
5.1 surround

Figure 4 shows an example of icons used to identify the sound mode on DVD
packaging.
Soundtrack Format Language
n Main English
o Main Japanese
p Director commentary English
q Music

Figure 4 Using Sound Mode Icons

6
 Dolby Trademark Usage on DVDs

For comparison, Figure 5 shows the same information as Figure 4, using text to
describe the format.

Soundtrack Format Language

n Main 5.1 Surround English
o Main Dolby Surround Japanese
p Director commentary Mono English
q Music Stereo

Figure 5 Indicating Sound Mode with Text

6.2 Indicating Mixed Audio Types

Titles that use only Dolby Digital audio for all soundtracks need nothing other than
the Dolby Digital logo to inform the user about the type of audio on the disc. DVD
titles may, however, combine different types of audio on a single disc, requiring
additional marking. For example, a music title may contain both a two-channel PCM
mix and a 5.1-channel Dolby Digital mix of the same soundtrack. If a DVD contains
a combination of Dolby Digital and other types of audio, it is important to indicate
this on the packaging.
A list of possible DVD audio type indicators is shown in Table 2. Dolby Digital audio
may be indicated with the double-D symbol (2) or with the words Dolby Digital.

Table 2 Audio Type Indicators and Their Meanings

Indicator Audio Type

PCM Pulse Code Modulation
2 Dolby Digital
MPEG1* MPEG-1
MPEG2* MPEG-2
DTS* DTS
SDDS* SDDS

* Unless otherwise directed by the respective trademark owners

7
 Dolby Trademark Usage on DVDs

Figure 6 shows an example of icons and indicators used to signify the Sound Mode
and Audio Type on DVD packaging.

Soundtrack Format Language

n Main N English
o Main C Japanese
p Director commentary A English
q Music b PCM

Figure 6 Sound Mode Icons and Audio Type Indicators

For comparison, Figure 7 uses text to show the same information as Figure 6, using
text to describe the format.

Soundtrack Sound Mode Audio Type Language

n Main 5.1 surround Dolby Digital English

o Main Dolby Surround Dolby Digital Japanese

p Director commentary Mono Dolby Digital English

q Music Stereo PCM

Figure 7 Sound Mode and Audio Type as Text

8
 Dolby Trademark Usage on DVDs

7 Contacts

USA UK
Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation Dolby Laboratories, Inc.
100 Potrero Avenue Wootton Bassett
San Francisco, CA 94103-4813 Wiltshire SN4 8QJ
United States United Kingdom
415-558-0200 (44) 1793-842100

Japan
Dolby Laboratories International Services, Inc.
Fuji Chuo Building 6F
2-1-7, Shintomi, Chuo-ku
Tokyo 104-0041
Japan
(81) 3-5542-6160

Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation

100 Potrero Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94103-4813 Telephone 415-558-0200 Fax 415-863-1373
Dolby, Pro Logic, and the double-D symbol are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. All other trademarks
remain the property of their respective owners. © 2002 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved. S02/14103