Registry Standards & Guidelines
Rules governing color registration and catalog maintenance
Acceptable Names
- • Must be 3-50 characters in length
- • May include letters, numbers, spaces, and basic punctuation
- • Should be meaningful and appropriate for public display
- • Examples: "Twilight Dream," "Sarah's Sunrise," "Forever Blue"
Prohibited Names
- • Offensive, vulgar, or hateful language
- • Trademarked brand names (e.g., "Tiffany Blue")
- • Impersonation of public figures or entities
- • Misleading scientific or legal terminology
Each exact HEX value can be registered only once. When a color is claimed, that specific HEX code is taken within this registry, and a later attempt to register the identical code is declined at checkout. Registration is first-come: the earliest completed registration holds the code.
Near-identical shades are still available. Uniqueness is enforced on the exact code, not on how a color looks. Codes a single step apart are different registrations and are visually indistinguishable to most people, so “taken” here means a precise value is spoken for—not a whole family of shades.
Color names are recorded as submitted and are not required to be unique. Two registrations may carry the same name on different colors, since the name is personal and the HEX code is what the catalog keys on.
None of this creates rights outside this registry. No registration grants exclusive rights to a color in the world, and it does not prevent anyone from using that color for any purpose.
Registrations can be set to three visibility levels:
Public
Listed in the public registry browser. Searchable and visible to all visitors.
Unlisted
Accessible via direct Registry ID or email lookup, but not listed in public browsing.
Private
Accessible only via Registry ID. Not searchable by email or name.
All registrations are subject to review for compliance with naming standards. The Registry reserves the right to:
- • Remove or modify entries that violate naming guidelines
- • Request clarification or revision of inappropriate content
- • Issue refunds for rejected registrations
We aim to maintain a respectful, family-friendly registry accessible to all audiences.
The registry entry is the core of your purchase. Your color is officially cataloged regardless of which package you select.
Physical keepsakes (framed certificates, premium materials, gift packaging) are optional presentations of your registry entry. The registration itself—your permanent record with Registry ID and certificate—is included in all packages.
Every registration is assigned a Registry ID in the format OCR-YYYY-NNNNNN—the prefix, the year the color was registered, and a sequential number within the catalog.
The ID is permanent and is the canonical way to retrieve an entry. Anyone holding it can look the registration up on our Lookup page, which is what makes a gifted certificate verifiable by the person receiving it. IDs are never reissued or reassigned, even if an entry is later corrected or made private.
Corrections. Typos in a color name, recipient name, or dedication message can be fixed. Contact us with your Registry ID and the correction. The ID and original registration date stay the same, because the record is meant to reflect when the color was actually claimed.
Visibility. To change a registration between the public, unlisted, and private levels described above, contact us with your Registry ID. Visibility affects only how an entry can be found—at every level the registration stays valid, the certificate still verifies through Lookup by Registry ID, and the entry continues to hold its HEX code so that exact color cannot be claimed by anyone else.
Removal. If you want a registration deleted entirely, we will do it on request from the person who purchased it. Deletion is permanent and releases that HEX code for future registration—so it is not reversible, and the certificate stops being verifiable through Lookup.