Open source brands offer an alternative to corporate branding.  The terminology comes from open source software, and both are informed by a similar ethos. Users can use, adapt and manipulate the existing brand for free.  Some open-source brands are not copyrighted at all, while in some instances the copyright holder offers permission for the public to interact with the brand.  For open-source brands, eschewing corporate branding is often just one of the ways they are rejecting existing industry practices.

One example of an open-source brand in practice is the OPEN Copenhagen brand. Citizens and organizations are encouraged to alter and make use of the city’s logo for their own purposes.