Can I use the word ‘wanikani’ in my apps name?

WaniKani API And Third-Party Apps
1

I’m considering building a website. All it will do is connect with wanikani and display the data from the API.

Am I allowed to use ‘wanikani’ in its name? Like if I call it ‘Wanikani Data Visualiser’?

2

You should send an email at hello@wanikani.com to get an official answer.

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3

I don’t believe that there’s ever been any issues with WKStats being branded WaniKani Statiatics and Jakeipuu and Tsurukame both use ‘- for WaniKani’ in their branding.

Provided it’s not a paid service, I can’t imagine there’d be any issue at all. The team seem genuinely very happy for people to create services around WaniKani that provide additional
information for users.

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4

I think the key here is making sure that it’s clear that

  • your website is a third-party website, not a part of WaniKani
  • it’s not associated with the WaniKani product (and WaniKani does not take responsibility for how well your website works)
  • it does not derive financial gains from the use of the WaniKani REST API

You can also go through the ToS of the API to make sure you’re covered on all fronts, but from what I gathered so far, the use of the API is quite liberal.

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5

Thanks everyone. That’s about what I was expecting, as long as I don’t do anything silly it should be fine

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6

I would ask for sure. Copyright laws can be tricky sometimes. Best to send an email to the staff.