⚖️ Brand & Trademark Policy

We own Nod™
in automation.

Just like Zapier owns “Zap” — Flownod™ owns Nod™ as the branded unit of automation in the cognitive workflow category. Here’s what that means, and why it’s stronger than “Flow”.

™

The "Nod" Trademark — What It Means

Zapier built an empire in part because no competitor can call their automations "Zaps". That word is legally theirs in the automation context.

Flownod™ has established the same protection for "Nod" and "Flownod" as the branded names for automation units and the platform itself. Any competing automation tool that calls its pipelines "Nods" is operating in our trademark space.

The Trademark
Nod™

A Nod is a Flownod automation. It’s what Zapier calls a “Zap”, Make calls a “Scenario”, n8n calls a “Workflow”.
Ours is called a Nod™ — entirely our own coined word. Zero conflicts. Maximum trademark strength.

Protected Marks

What We Own

All marks are protected under common-law first-use rights effective 2025, with formal registration applications in progress.

Mark Status Protects
Flownod™ ● Common-Law The full platform brand. Cannot be used in competing automation products.
Nod™ ● Common-Law The branded unit of automation in the cognitive/AI workflow category. Our “Zap”. Coined word — no prior use exists.
FlowCanvas™ ● Common-Law The visual drag-and-drop canvas interface product name.
FlowBrain™ ● Common-Law The local AI cognitive engine product name.
FlowHeal™ ◐ Filing Q4 2026 The AI self-healing error correction system feature name.
Usage Policy

What You Can & Can't Do

✓ Permitted Uses

  • Run and self-host @flownod/core privately
  • Build products powered by @flownod/core (with attribution)
  • Write blog posts, tutorials, or reviews mentioning Flownod
  • Compare Flownod to Zapier in honest marketing
  • Create plugins and connectors for Flownod
  • Use “nod” as a common English word (lowercase, non-branded)
  • Contribute to the open-source codebase

✗ Requires Written Permission

  • Name your automation units “Nods” in a competing tool
  • Register domains like flownod.io or flownod.ai
  • Create npm packages under @flownod/* namespace
  • Name a competing product “Flownod”, “FlowCanvas”, or “FlowBrain”
  • Fork and redistribute under a confusingly similar brand
  • Use our logo, color scheme, or canvas layout without license
  • Claim or register any mark containing “Nod” in automation SaaS
Brand Comparison

Where We Fit in the Market

Platform Their Unit Name Our Differentiator
Flownod™ Nod™ (ours) Local-first · AI self-healing · Zero per-task fees · Immutable audit logs
Zapier Zap Cloud-only · Charges per Zap · No self-healing · No local execution
Make (Integromat) Scenario Cloud-only · Your data leaves your machine · No AI healing
n8n Workflow Self-hostable but no self-healing · No cognitive AI layer
Google Flow Flow (conflict!) AI video tool — different category but blocks “Flow” as our unit mark. This is why we use Nod™ instead.
Trade Dress

Our Visual Identity

Flownod's visual trade dress is also protected. Competing tools copying this exact color palette and layout style may be liable for trade dress infringement.

Primary Emerald
#10B981
Accent Cyan
#06b6d4
Pro Violet
#8b5cf6
Enterprise Gold
#f59e0b
Deep Space BG
#020408
Contact

Trademark Inquiries

Request a license, report an infringement, or ask permission for a specific use.
We respond within 5 business days.

✉ legal@flownod.com