Recognition License Structure
Formal authorization for the use of recognized distinctions.
Ranking News offers recognition license options according to the intended scope of use. Each license applies to a specific ranking designation, review year, desk, and category. Licensing does not affect inclusion, ranking position, future eligibility, or editorial evaluation. Recognition is determined independently prior to any licensing communication, and institutions included in a Ranking News list are not required to enter into any commercial arrangement.
The license structure distinguishes between limited digital display, broader professional communications use, network-supported recognition circulation, and full institutional display. Institutions may select the license appropriate to their communication needs. Fees and commercial terms are provided separately upon request, depending on the recognition category, intended usage, review cycle, geographic scope, requested materials, and applicable production requirements.
License Scope at a Glance
| License Option | Intended Use | Included Scope | Not Included |
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| Digital Badge License | Limited digital recognition display on controlled institutional channels |
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| Professional Communications License | Broader use across business-development, recruitment, proposal, and institutional communication materials |
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| Network Recognition License | Professional communications use with additional recognition visibility across relevant Ranking News and The Economy Network channels |
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| Institutional Visibility License | Full recognition package for firms seeking both external communication rights and internal institutional display |
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The sections below provide additional detail on each license option, permitted use, excluded use, and applicable recognition materials.
Digital Badge License
The Digital Badge License is designed for institutions that require limited digital use of their Ranking News recognition. It grants authorization to use the official recognition mark in controlled digital contexts, including the institution’s website, LinkedIn page, organic social media posts, email signature, and an awards or recognition page controlled by the institution.
This license includes the digital versions of official box badge and strip badge for the relevant ranking designation, together with standard recognition wording and basic usage guidance. It does NOT include the trophy badge, press release use, proposal or pitch deck use, recruitment campaigns, paid advertising, The Economy Network recognition coverage, or physical display materials.
Professional Communications License
The Professional Communications License is designed for institutions that wish to use their Ranking News recognition across broader owned-media, marketing, business-development, and institutional communications. It is appropriate for firms that intend to reference the recognition beyond a simple website or social media display.
This license includes the box badge, strip badge, digital trophy badge, standard recognition wording, website and LinkedIn announcement copy, and proposal-safe recognition language. Authorized use may include the institution’s website, LinkedIn, email signatures, pitch decks, client proposals, RFP responses, brochures, recruitment materials, partner or executive biographies, internal newsletters, conference materials, and press releases.
Network Recognition License
The Network Recognition License is designed for institutions that wish to combine professional communications rights with additional recognition visibility across relevant Ranking News and The Economy Network channels. It includes the rights and materials provided under the Professional Communications License, with additional support for public recognition communication.
Network-level circulation may include recognition-related reference through relevant Ranking News desks, The Economy News, The Economy Market, The Economy Review, The Economy Intelligence, and related network channels where appropriate. Such circulation is intended to support accurate communication of the already-published recognition. It does not constitute paid ranking placement, paid editorial endorsement, or modification of the published ranking position.
Institutional Visibility License
The Institutional Visibility License is the full recognition package for institutions that wish to present their Ranking News distinction as an institutional visibility asset. It includes the rights, materials, and network-supported recognition circulation provided under the Network Recognition License.
This license also includes the boardroom plaque, a restricted physical recognition item produced in accordance with Ranking News brand and usage standards. The plaque is reserved for institutions participating under the Institutional Visibility License and is intended for office, boardroom, reception-area, meeting-room, or internal institutional display. Additional plaques may be requested by Institutional Visibility licensees subject to production and delivery terms.
Boardroom Plaque / Recognition Display
The Boardroom Plaque is a physical recognition item based on the Ranking News trophy badge format. It is NOT offered as a standalone license or as an add-on to limited digital or professional communications licenses. It is reserved for institutions participating under the Institutional Visibility License.
The plaque is NOT a separate ranking product and does NOT affect the institution’s ranking status, placement, or future eligibility. It is a physical display version of the licensed recognition mark and is produced in accordance with Ranking News brand and usage standards. Production, customization, shipping, duties, and applicable taxes may be handled separately.
Badge and Recognition Material Standards
Ranking News maintains distinct recognition formats for different levels of licensed use. The box badge is a compact official recognition mark suitable for website, directory, and digital-profile placement. The strip badge is designed for broader website, LinkedIn, email signature, and announcement use.
The digital trophy badge is a premium recognition format reserved for broader professional and institutional communications licenses. The boardroom plaque is the physical display version of the trophy badge and is restricted to the Institutional Visibility License. Licensed institutions should NOT alter badge design, modify ranking language, expand the recognition beyond the specific category or review year, or imply broader endorsement than the published designation permits.
Coverage Boundaries
Recognition in a Ranking News list is editorially determined and remains independent of licensing. Licensing grants authorization to use official recognition marks, wording, related materials, and, where applicable, network-supported recognition circulation.
Declining to license does NOT affect ranking inclusion, ranking position, future eligibility, or editorial treatment. Entering into a license agreement does NOT grant ranking placement, category modification, guaranteed future inclusion, or editorial influence. Each license applies only to the specific ranking title, category, desk, and review year for which authorization has been granted.