Build Trust at a Glance: Visual Protection Against Phishing
BIMI (Brand Indicators for Message Identification) is a standard for displaying brand logos in company emails. By seeing the logo, recipients can instantly confirm that the email is from a legitimate company. This reduces the risk of threats like phishing and spoofing and helps enhance brand trust. Displaying the logo requires a Verified Mark Certificate (VMC) issued by a Certificate Authority.
We assess the risk of impersonation. Please enter the domain name managed by your company.
Reports of phishing incidents have increased dramatically since 2019. The number of cases skyrocketed from approximately 20,000 in 2018 to nearly 1.2 million in 2023—a staggering 60-fold increase in just six years.
One key factor behind this surge is the COVID-19 pandemic. As economic activities and daily communication moved online, criminal activities like spoofing and phishing also proliferated in the digital world.
The pandemic also brought new demographics online, such as seniors and young students, who previously had limited internet experience. Due to lower digital literacy, these groups have become particularly vulnerable, leading to a sharp rise in the number of victims.
Phishing reports to the Anti‑Phishing Council are rapidly increasing!
A sharp increase in fraudulent transfers via internet banking (approx. 8.7 billion JPY in 2023).
In today's complex world of cybersecurity, BIMI and VMC offer a refreshingly simple advantage: security you can see. Displaying a trusted logo directly in the inbox gives users instant confidence that a message is legitimate.
This visual verification is a game-changer for businesses. It helps boost email open rates—a key marketing metric—and strengthens brand trust. In an era where email is the key to countless online services, allowing customers to identify your messages at a glance is a powerful advantage.
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When combined with DMARC (an anti-spoofing email protocol), it helps prevent fraudulent emails and reduces the risk of phishing attacks.
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When recipients see the official logo, they can instantly trust the sender and confidently open the message.
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With your logo visible in the inbox, recipients instantly recognize your brand. This consistent visibility reinforces brand identity with every email.
Here is an overview of the logo mark certificates available for displaying your brand logo in company emails. The type of certificate you can obtain varies depending on factors such as the trademark registration status of your logo and the nature of your organization.
Organizations that own a logo with an active trademark registration
This certificate can be issued as long as the trademark registration is valid. It verifies that the email sender is the legitimate owner of both the registered trademark logo and the domain.
Government agencies, ministries, local governments, etc.
Can be issued for logos that are recognized as owned by, or that can be claimed by, government agencies or local authorities — even without trademark registration.
Organizations that have been using an unregistered logo for over one year
Can be issued for logos that have not been trademarked by any third party, have been in use on the organization's website for over one year, and are currently still displayed there.
Organizations renewing a logo that has an active trademark registration
Can be issued for logos that are adapted versions of a trademark-registered logo within specified guidelines, where the adapted version itself is not yet registered as a trademark.
| VMC (Verified Mark Certificate) | GMC (Government Mark Certificate) | CMC (Common Mark Certificate) | MRMC (Modified Registered Mark Certificate) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trademark Registration | Required | Not Required | Not Required | Not Required |
| Verified Mark | Displayed | Displayed | Hidden | Hidden |
| Supported Email Clients | Gmail, Fastmail, au Mail, etc. | Gmail, Fastmail, au Mail, etc. | Gmail only | Gmail only |
※ Status as of April 2026.
Our partner companies provide support to help upgrade your organization's DMARC policy.
They offer multiple plans tailored to your situation.
With two decades of experience, GMO Brand Security possesses deep expertise in trademarks. You can confidently entrust us with the critical trademark verification required for VMC issuance, ensuring a seamless process.
With our group company, GlobalSign—a trusted global Certificate Authority—serving as the Root CA, we deliver a seamless BIMI experience. This direct collaboration guarantees stable and consistent logo display across various email clients, providing you with peace of mind.
We also offer solutions to address brand infringement and cybersecurity risks. Our services include:
Brand Abuse Monitoring
Site Takedown Services
Vulnerability Assessments
Our experienced staff design solutions tailored to each company’s challenges. We serve around 2,000 clients, primarily large enterprises, and excel at providing customized problem‑solving.
Here are the answers to your questions about getting a VMC, from preparing your trademark and logo file to gathering the required documents (Japanese only).
The GMO Anti‑Spoofing Seal is a powerful tool to protect customers from phishing and spoofing sites and an essential element of brand protection.
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