QR code licensing and trademark: what you must credit

Two different kinds of property

Confusion about QR licensing almost always comes from mixing two separate legal objects:

	The format (the pattern)	The name ("QR Code")
Protection	Patents: pledged unenforced, now expired	Registered trademark, active
Owner	Public domain in practice	Denso Wave Incorporated
Using it	Free, no permission, no credit	Free, but a credit line is requested
Applies to	Generating, printing, scanning symbols	The words in your published material

The pattern side is settled and covered on are QR codes patented and free to use. This page is about the name.

The credit line

"QR Code" is a registered trademark of Denso Wave, registered in Japan and in many other jurisdictions. Denso Wave's stated position is permissive: it does not charge for use of the term, but asks that published material using it carry the acknowledgement:

QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED.

Where to put it follows ordinary trademark-credit practice: small print does the job: a website's imprint or footer, a manual's colophon, packaging's fine print, an app's licences screen. One line once per publication, not per mention.

A practical rule of thumb

• Commercial or published material that uses the words "QR Code": product packaging, documentation, apps, marketing: include the credit line somewhere unobtrusive. It costs one line and removes the issue entirely.
• Editorial and conversational use: articles, blog posts, everyday speech: the term functions generically and attribution is customary courtesy rather than a practical risk; publications that maintain trademark lists include it.
• Do not want to bother? Say "2D code" or write around it: "scan the code to…" needs no trademark at all, and instruction copy usually reads better that way anyway (see call-to-action patterns).

What you must not do is imply endorsement: naming a product "QR Code Pro" or using Denso Wave's branding invites exactly the trademark conversation the credit line avoids.

What non-enforcement covers, and what it does not

The famous patent pledge covers the standardised format: symbols complying with ISO/IEC 18004 (and JIS X 0510), which includes Micro QR. Outside that boundary sit Denso Wave's proprietary technologies:

• SQRC, the split public/private payload format
• FrameQR, the reserved-canvas image format
• iQR, the high-density square/rectangular format

These are licensed products. Generating or decoding them requires Denso Wave's software and its commercial terms, no pledge, no expiry argument, no public domain. The trademark, similarly, remains fully enforceable even though the patents have lapsed: free format, protected name.

For UseQR users the summary is short: every code generated here is standard ISO/IEC 18004 QR, free of any licence obligation, and if your printed piece uses the words "QR Code", add the one-line credit and move on.

FAQ

Is "QR Code" a registered trademark?

Yes, of Denso Wave Incorporated, in Japan and many other countries. The trademark covers the name, not the pattern, generating and scanning the symbols requires no permission.

Do I have to credit Denso Wave when I use a QR code?

Not for using the symbol itself. When your published or commercial material uses the words "QR Code", Denso Wave asks for the credit line "QR Code is a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE INCORPORATED" in the fine print.

Can I use the words "QR code" on my packaging?

Yes. Include the trademark credit line somewhere unobtrusive, such as the packaging's small print, or sidestep the term entirely with wording like "scan the code": both are accepted practice.

Is it legal to sell products with QR codes on them?

Entirely. The format carries no licence fee or royalty, and the patent pledge plus patent expiry put standard QR beyond dispute. Only Denso Wave's proprietary variants and the trademarked name carry obligations.