Office of the Ombuds

The Office of the Ombudsman frequently looks for ways to improve the Copyright and Quote Policy; our latest audit revealed a few areas that warranted some clarification and transparency to further underpin Gartner’s independence and objectivity.

What’s changed?

• 24-hour Magic Quadrant embargo lifted (Section 3.4a)
• Increased transparency regarding violations and an “assessment” guide (Section 6.4)
• Added rules around Critical Capabilities and Market Guide research and graphic usage (Section 3.4a and 3.4b)
• Shared rules around the use of the Gartner logo, including an updated Gartner Logo Usage Guidelines document that includes use-case examples (Section 2.3)
• Revamped Policy Essentials section (Section 1)
• Modified legal disclaimer for “Branded” research (Section 3.4a and 3.4b)

Why the changes?

24-hour Embargo Lifted

In this day and age, we realize that corporate communications demand faster response. This is why we have lifted the embargo for newly published Magic Quadrants. While all corporate mentions (such as press releases, presentation slides) still must be submitted to Quote Requests for approval, they will no longer be subject to a 24-hour embargo. Social media mentions (for example, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+, personal blogs) do not require pre-approval.

Note: The Quote Requests’ embargo lift has no impact on Reprints’ delivery turnaround time. Please continue to factor in 48 hours when preparing to promote a licensed reprint.

Transparency

When people violate the Policy, we take various steps in response. We’ve never shared the rationale behind our actions, but in the interest of transparency, we have added a Violation Assessment Guideline that provides a view into the factors we consider when assessing violations. One of the more dramatic actions we can take against violations is a “Quote ban”, which precludes the violator from quoting from Gartner for a period of time. The updated Policy spells out that effective Sept. 1, 2014, an immediate, 3-month quote ban will be imposed any time we discover that draft Magic Quadrant, Critical Capabilities or Market Guide text or graphics are shared externally or beyond appropriate internal participants.

Critical Capabilities and Market Guides

The Policy now outlines details on Critical Capabilities and Market Guide research under Section 3.4 for “Branded” research.

Gartner Logo

We have added guidelines for how and when the Gartner logo may be used within client marketing materials. These parameters are aligned with our corporate branding and help ensure that the Gartner brand is consistently and appropriately represented in the marketplace.

Policy Essentials

We have reorganized, clarified and streamlined the parameters outlined in the Policy Essentials section. The content is not new, but we think it’s now easier to understand.

Modified disclaimer

The legal disclaimer under Section 3.4 for “Branded” research has been updated.

Where to go with questions: If you have questions about this updated Policy, contact ombudsman@gartner.com. Please continue to send all quote requests (including reports of potential external use violations) to quote.requests@gartner.com.