Prior to the establishment of the Department of the Army Emblem, there was no official display item to identify the Army. The Army seal had traditionally been used to authenticate documents only and was not authorized for display. In recognizing the need to provide a display item, The Secretary of the Army approved the emblem design as the official emblem to represent the Army on 29 January 1974.
The reproduction of the Army emblem is authorized in publications and other printed matter of an official or quasi-official nature in Army approved films and in official Army motion pictures or television programs. The design may not be modified in any manner. It may be reproduced in its proper colors, through the use of a one-color line process, or as a line drawing. The use of the Army emblem for any other purposes, including its incorporation in other items for commercial sale, will be only as authorized by Army Trademark and Licensing Program.