How Solonym Protects Identity
Solonym is a name registry. Like a domain registrar or a company name registry, we operate a shared namespace where names are claimed on a first-come, first-served basis. That creates a question worth answering directly: what prevents abuse, squatting, and impersonation?
Solonym is more than a namespace registry: we guarantee uniqueness, protect against impersonation, and verify real-world associations through layered trust tiers.
Solonym does not validate identity as truth — it validates control, association, and exclusive name allocation within the registry.
Earn Trust Badges
Verified Online Presence
Confirms you control at least one verified online account, domain email, or website.
How to earn: Verify a social link, your website domain, or a domain email on any profile's Edit page.
Verified Identity
Confirms you are the individual distinctively known by this name, based on verified evidence of your established identity.
How to earn: Apply for verified identity from your dashboard.
Verified Registered Entity
Confirms your entity has documented real-world registration, reviewed by the Solonym team.
How to earn: Submit official registration documents from your dashboard.
Verified Family Association
Confirms your association with a Family — an extended kinship group sharing common ancestry and a collective identity across generations — based on publicly accessible evidence reviewed by the Solonym team.
How to earn: Submit publicly accessible evidence (reference URLs, social presence links, or additional public references) from your dashboard.
Verified Government or International Institution
The highest trust tier — identity and institutional authenticity corroborated through external sources.
How to earn: Available by invitation for government bodies and official institutions.
How Solonym works
Protected Names
Well-known brand, institutional, and government names are protected and cannot be registered without proof of verified rights. Eligible registrants must pass the required identity type check and submit documents for admin review before the registration goes live.
Blocked Names
Certain names are permanently blocked and cannot be registered by anyone. This includes names restricted for safety and abuse prevention, names with high impersonation risk (e.g. globally recognized entities, government bodies, and major brands), and names protected under Solonym policy categories. The blocked list is maintained and updated by Solonym.
Identity Verification
Registrants can earn trust badges by verifying their social accounts, website domains, and contact email. Companies and organizations can also submit official registration documents for admin review to receive the Verified Registered Entity badge. Entities registered at the standard rate can self-initiate this process from their dashboard at any time, with a one-time upgrade fee that covers unlimited resubmissions for as long as the subscription is active.
Dispute Handling
If you believe a name was registered in bad faith, impersonates you or your organization, or constitutes trademark infringement, you can submit a dispute through the contact form. Solonym reviews disputes under its platform rules but does not issue legal determinations of trademark ownership. Disputes must be raised by the affected party.
Enforcement outcomes
When a submitted dispute is reviewed and a violation is confirmed, Solonym may take the following actions:
- Suspend the registered name, making its profile inaccessible
- Release the name back into the registry so the verified registrant can register it
- Remove or downgrade a trust badge where the underlying verification no longer holds
Enforcement decisions are platform-level actions. They do not constitute legal rulings, and Solonym does not enforce or adjudicate trademark rights.
What a registration is — and is not
What registration means
- Exclusive allocation of that name string within the Solonym platform
- A public profile page proving this identity is registered and maintained
- For verified accounts: that Solonym has reviewed and approved submitted evidence according to the requirements of the verification level achieved
- Protection from others registering the same name on this platform
What registration does not mean
- A trademark, legal ownership claim, or right outside this platform
- A government-recognized identity or legal document
- An affiliation with any real-world person or organization of the same name, unless verified status has been explicitly granted through Solonym's verification process
- A guarantee of accuracy beyond the point of verification
Registrations on Solonym do not themselves create or grant trademark rights, legal ownership, business rights, or exclusive rights outside the Solonym platform. Any legal rights must arise independently under applicable law and through the relevant legal authorities.
— Solonym Terms of Service
Frequently asked questions
What happens if someone registers a well-known brand name before the brand owner does?
If the name is on Solonym's protected list, it can only be registered by a party who qualifies under the eligible entity type and passes the required verification review. The public profile remains restricted and invisible until that verification is approved. If a bad-faith registration already exists, the affected party can submit a dispute through the Contact page. Solonym reviews disputes and may release the name when impersonation or trademark infringement is sufficiently established.
How do I report a name I believe was registered to impersonate me?
Use the Contact page to submit a dispute. Select 'Impersonation' as the subject. Include the registered name in question, your relationship to it, and any supporting evidence. Solonym reviews disputes under platform rules and may take enforcement action when a violation is confirmed.
Does having a verified badge guarantee the profile is who they say they are?
Verification badges mean that specific evidence was reviewed and accepted at the time of verification — a social account was proven to be controlled by the registrant, a website domain was confirmed, or official registration documents were examined. They do not constitute a legal finding, and Solonym does not continuously re-verify credentials after the initial review. The level of trust each badge carries depends on how it was earned: Verified Online Presence is self-service; Verified Registered Entity involves admin review of official documents.
Have a question or dispute to raise?