This article details the official symbols in use by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI), the domestic

intelligence Intelligence has been defined in many ways: the capacity for abstraction, logic, understanding, self-awareness, learning, emotional knowledge, reasoning, planning, creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving. More generally, it can b ...

and

security Security is protection from, or resilience against, potential harm (or other unwanted coercive change) caused by others, by restraining the freedom of others to act. Beneficiaries (technically referents) of security may be of persons and social ...

service of the United States. The Seal of the Federal Bureau of Investigation is the symbol of the FBI. It is used by the FBI to represent the organization and to authenticate certain documents that it issues. The term is used both for the physical seal itself, and more generally for the design impressed upon it. The seal has also been used as part of the flag of the FBI. The current version of the seal has been in use since 1941. Designed in 1940 by FBI Special Agent Leo Gauthier, it derives its design from the FBI's flag and symbolizes the values, standards and history of the Bureau through the various elements incorporated in the design. It should not be confused with the FBI badge, which is older and has a different design.

Design

The colors and symbol of the seal of the FBI represent the values and standards of the FBI and the United States and allude to the history of both the organization and the country. The center of the seal depicts a shield bracketed by two laurel branches, with an inscribed scroll below, set against a blue field. A gold-outlined strip occupies the circumference of the field, bearing the words "DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE" above, and "FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION" below. A circle of thirteen golden stars surrounds the shield and laurels, representing unity of purpose and the original thirteen founding states of the United States. The laurel branches represent academic honors, distinction and fame. The two branches depict a total of 46 leaves, standing for the number of U.S. states when the FBI was founded in 1908. The blue field behind the central shield represents justice, as do the stripes set on a golden field at the shield's top. Five parallel vertical red and white stripes make up the rest of the shield, echoing the colors of the

Flag of the United States The national flag of the United States, United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rect ...

. As with the flag, there is one more red stripe than white. The stripes symbolize the values of the FBI; the red stripes stand for courage, valor, and strength, while the white ones represent light, cleanliness, and truth. Below the wreath and shield is a scroll bearing the words "Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity". This slogan, which was devised in 1935 by FBI Inspector W.H. Drane Lester,''The FBI: A Centennial History, 1908-2008'', p. 121 describes the high moral standards and high level of motivation the FBI expects from its staff. It also reflects the Bureau's own initials as a "

backronym A backronym is an acronym formed from an already existing word by expanding its letters into the words of a phrase. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The ...

" of sorts. However, a ''Newsweek'' article from 2008 credits Edward Allen Tamm, once a top aide to

J. Edgar Hoover John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was an American law enforcement administrator who served as the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). He was appointed director of the Bureau of Investigation � ...

who regularly briefed President

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

on domestic intelligence matters with the invention of the motto: "He's credited in some bureau histories with inventing (in 1935) not only the bureau's name, but its official motto: Fidelity, Bravery, Integrity." The outer edge of the seal consists of a series of beveled golden peaks. This represents the severe challenges that the FBI faces every day and alludes to the ruggedness of the organization. The gold color represents the richness and history of the Bureau's mission. FBI Badge & gun

The FBI seal should not be confused with the FBI badge, which dates from 1935 and has a very different design that does not incorporate the seal. The badge consists of a miniature shield crested by an eagle. The face of the shield depicts

Justitia Lady Justice ( la, Iustitia) is an allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Her attributes are scales, a sword and sometimes a blindfold. She often appears as a pair with Prudentia. Lady Justice originates from the ...

holding her scales and a sword, alongside the names of the FBI and the Department of Justice. A modified version of the FBI seal is used by the

Federal Bureau of Investigation Police The FBI Police is the uniformed security police of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and is part of the Bureau's Security Division. The FBI Police is tasked with protecting key FBI facilities, properties, personnel, users, visitors, infor ...

, the uniformed division of the FBI tasked with the protection of the Bureau's facilities, properties and personnel. The FBI Police symbol is a golden shield with the seal set at the center flanked by twin laurel branches. At top and bottom are scrolls bearing the words "FBI" and "POLICE" respectively.

History

When the FBI was founded in 1908 as the Bureau of Investigation (later the Division of Investigation) it was a subordinate organization of the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

. It had no logo of its own but used the existing seal of the Department of Justice. In 1935 it became an independent service within the Department of Justice and changed its name to the present-day Federal Bureau of Investigation. To reflect its new identity it adopted a version of the Department of Justice seal with the words "Federal Bureau of Investigation" and "Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity" added to the outer band. Various proposals were floated over the next few years for a new FBI seal that would retain the connection with the Department of Justice while expressing the FBI's own values and distinct identity. The current version of the seal dates from 1940 and was designed by Special Agent Leo Gauthier, who was a draftsman, artist and illustrator. He had previously designed a flag for the Bureau and used elements of that design to create a new seal. It was accepted immediately.

Usage

Since 1954, Federal law has protected the FBI seal against unauthorized commercial use. The unauthorized use of the seal is subject to prosecution under federal criminal law, including Sections 701 and 709 of

Title 18 of the United States Code Title 18 of the United States Code is the main criminal code of the federal government of the United States. The Title deals with federal crimes and criminal procedure. In its coverage, Title 18 is similar to most U.S. state criminal codes, w ...

. The latter Section prohibits the use of the words "Federal Bureau of Investigation" or the

initialism An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in ''NATO'' (''North Atlantic Treaty Organization''), but sometimes use syllables, as ...

"F.B.I.",

in connection with any advertisement, circular, book, pamphlet or other publication, play, motion picture, broadcast, telecast, or other production, in a manner reasonably calculated to convey the impression that such advertisement, circular, book, pamphlet or other publication, play, motion picture, broadcast, telecast, or other production, is approved, endorsed, or authorized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The FBI has taken action against commercial vendors making unauthorized use of the seal and other Federal agency seals and symbols, such as

Smokey Bear Smokey Bear is an American campaign and advertising icon of the U.S. Forest Service. In the Wildfire Prevention Campaign, which is the longest-running public service announcement campaign in United States history, the Ad Council, the United St ...

. For instance, a New York toy manufacturer used the FBI seal on a toy

water pistol Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a s ...

. The manufacturer was warned by the FBI to remove the seal or face prosecution. However, anyone using the name or seal in a non-commercial way, such as for purposes of satire or parody, where no renumeration is realized, is protected by the 1st Amendment.

Commercial works

The seal has, however, been used with permission in many commercial works of popular culture. An authorized history of the Bureau, ''The F.B.I. Story'', was published in 1956 with the seal displayed on the book's dust jacket with the permission of FBI chief

. Hoover also permitted the long-running

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

series ''

The F.B.I. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, t ...

'', on which he was a consultant, to open and close every episode with the image of the seal. Cast, painted or engraved versions of the seal are displayed on a number of properties associated with the FBI. J. Edgar Hoover's grave at

Congressional Cemetery The Congressional Cemetery, officially Washington Parish Burial Ground, is a historic and active cemetery located at 1801 E Street, SE, in Washington, D.C., on the west bank of the Anacostia River. It is the only American "cemetery of national m ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

is surrounded by a wrought-iron fence bearing a cast metal replica of the FBI seal. The "J. Edgar Hoover Bench" stands nearby bearing a modified version of the seal that represents the Society of Former Special Agents. A large engraved version of the FBI seal is displayed at the entrance of the J. Edgar Hoover Building, the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Anti-piracy campaign

The FBI seal has become a familiar sight for users of digital entertainment media in the United States due to its appearance on DVDs, CDs and video games. It appeared in

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

s during a late 1980s anti-drugs campaign, alongside the words "

Winners Don't Use Drugs "Winners Don't Use Drugs" is an anti-drug slogan that was included in arcade games imported by the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) into North America from 1989 to 2000. The slogan appeared during an arcade game's attract mode. Th ...

". In February 2004, the FBI announced a joint anti-piracy program with the

Motion Picture Association of America The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distribu ...

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

Entertainment Software Association The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) is the trade association of the video game industry in the United States. It was formed in April 1994 as the Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) and renamed on July 21, 2003. It is based in ...

and the

Software and Information Industry Association The Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) is a trade association dedicated to the entertainment, consumer and business software industries. Established in 1984 as the Software Publishers Association (SPA), the SIIA took its new na ...

under which an "FBI Anti-Piracy Warning" would be displayed prominently on disks, sleeves and in DVD title cards. The warning notice displays the FBI seal defaced with a strip bearing the words "FBI ANTI-PIRACY WARNING", accompanied by a text warning of the illegality of unauthorized copying. The anti-piracy campaign was initiated following the passage by Congress of the ''Piracy Deterrence and Education Act of 2003'', which ordered the FBI to develop a program against

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...

. The seal is used under a Memorandum of Understanding agreed between the FBI and the Recording Industry Association of America. Since August 13, 2012, the FBI has permitted all copyright holders to use the seal, subject to restrictions. In particular, the seal must be used adjacent to the text "The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment." or "Warning: Unauthorized duplication is a violation of applicable laws."

Wikimedia Commons

In July 2010, the FBI ordered the

Wikimedia Foundation The Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., or Wikimedia for short and abbreviated as WMF, is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in San Francisco, California and registered as a charitable foundation under local laws. Best kno ...

to remove the seal from

Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Commons (or simply Commons) is a media repository of free-to-use images, sounds, videos and other media. It is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. Files from Wikimedia Commons can be used across all of the Wikimedia projects in ...

servers, stating that its unauthorized presence on the encyclopedia was illegal under 18 U.S.C. §701. Wikimedia's general counsel,

Mike Godwin Michael Wayne Godwin (born October 26, 1956) is an American attorney and author. He was the first staff counsel of the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), and he created the Internet adage Godwin's law and the notion of an Internet meme, as ...

, declined to comply, stating that the FBI was misconstruing the law, which he said was intended to prevent people from using fake FBI badges or profiting from the use of the seal.

Logo

References

External links

18 U.S.C. §70118 U.S.C. §70918 U.S.C. §712
– Related federal criminal law.
41 U.S.C. §128-1.5007
– Authorization for reproduction of departmental and bureau seals. {{DEFAULTSORT:Federal Bureau of Investigation

Seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, or "true seal" ** Fur seal * Seal (emblem), a device to impr ...

Seals of organizations American heraldry