I got in a bit of hot water on another thread for this, thread drift I guess, so here it is on it's own thread.
Has anyone had any bad experiances with copyright violation? We never had anything that cost us, but we did get told to stop once. We were selling shirts with a truck brand logo on them to a dealer of that brand of truck. I guess someone had exclusive rights to use the logo...
I have done some designs with name brand logo's in them, but I did get a release from the company to use them. I always thought a dealer had the right to use the logo's for that brand and in fact the ones I have done have all had the proper paperwork saying they could. So I guess that's not the case with everything?
Dealers are not just allowed to use logos. Try asking a Johne Deer dealer to show you a piece of paper work from corporate allowing you to print the John Deere logo for their store.
I've had a large insurance company call me several times in fact asking me to do a coop with their logo/John Deere/and dealer ad copy. My answer is always the same, get John Deere to give me the "go ahead" and I'll be all over it.
I deal with other companies who only let me sew their logo, it's their way of keeping an eye on quality control. So it's nice when it works to my benifit, not so nice the other way. But I follow the rules.
My advice is not to guess or assume anything. You have zero idea as to what a companies rules are until you pick up the phone and talk to them. Admit it, it's a funny little game that goes on in your head. You have the opportunity to write up an order, but the customer wants something you know is trademarked. You do the little it's ok, I don't think they'd mind, just this once, everyone else does it dance...
Last edited by Theedge; August 12th, 2008 at 05:22 PM.
I dont think it really matters what you are printing it on, or how you are using it. If you are using a protected logo to bennifit business in any manner, you can be in trouble. I know, I recieved a cease and desist for using the word onesie on my website. I was using it to describe the bodysuits babies wear, and this is used by so many people to describe them, as it has become very common. But Gerber sent me a cease and desist to remove the word from my website anywhere it was. I was told that unless I started printing on gerber onesies I had better not use the word or they would be in contact.
Its really not safe to assume that something is ok, or even take the customers word for it. The only safe way is to have approval straight from the horses mouth.
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Always do right; this will gratify some people and astonish the rest. ~~~Mark Twain BobbieLee
I dont think it really matters what you are printing it on, or how you are using it. If you are using a protected logo to bennifit business in any manner, you can be in trouble. I know, I recieved a cease and desist for using the word onesie on my website. I was using it to describe the bodysuits babies wear, and this is used by so many people to describe them, as it has become very common. But Gerber sent me a cease and desist to remove the word from my website anywhere it was. I was told that unless I started printing on gerber onesies I had better not use the word or they would be in contact.
Its really not safe to assume that something is ok, or even take the customers word for it. The only safe way is to have approval straight from the horses mouth.
You also bring up a very good point, someone will ask you to stop first 95% of the time. As you have seen, they just wanted you to stop.
copyright stories 
