[amayausers.com] Re: License ? For High Schools

  • From: webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • To: amayausers@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2007 16:10:19 UT

This message was posted by signman on AmayaUsers.com. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY VIA 
EMAIL. Instead, respond to the thread on the WEBSITE by clicking here: 
http://www.amayausers.com/boards/ultimatebb.php?/topic/2/262.html#000001

Yes and no....if the school or league has COPYRIGHTED their logo, then you need 
PERMISSION from an officer or legal representative of that league. Some leagues 
may even charge you to use their logo if you are doing work to 'sell', not 
doing it 'for them'.
Any of your big league teams, NFL, AFL, Baseball, colleges, universitys, will 
for sure have their logos copyrighted and will pursue you if you do not get 
permission or the 'rights' to use their logo. Our local school did not have 
their mascot copyrighted-I did a lot of shirts, jackets, etc. for them-and when 
the local grocery chain suddenly started selling teeshirts WITHOUT permission 
or even without donating a portion to the school-they went ballistic and then 
found out they couldn't do anything. SInce I was in the middle of painting 
their mascot 15' high on the gym wall, I arranged with the principal to let ME 
copyright the design I had come up with...and therefor it prevented anyone else 
from using it. Came in handy the next time a group wanted to reproduce it to 
raise money for themselves...I was able to stop it right there since I had 
arranged with the school the 'rights' to all copies of that logo.
Now there is a misconception that you can change a logo or design 10% or so and 
still do it. Nope...copyright laws changed several years ago so that NO PORTION 
OF A COPYRIGHTED DESIGN can be used in any shape or form without permission 
from the copyright holder. Been over this with full documentation a couple 
times a year on different forums with some people that don't believe it. You 
can research it by googling US goverment copyright law and there it is.
What you CAN do, to protect you and the school-come up with a great design for 
them, mascot, etc.-(if it isn't copyrighted yet) and copyright it with YOUR 
NAME. Then tell them you own that design but will NOT allow it to be used by 
anyone without the permission of the school! That way you are 'their guard dog' 
to prevent bootleg versions...and guaranteeing that any use of that logo has to 
go through you. It does NOT cost a dime to copyright anything. Just produce the 
image, with YOUR NAME and current date and the 'copyright' symbol-print up a 
couple, and mail them to yourself as a registered, return reciept letter and do 
not open it. Just file it. This puts a government date stamp on a copy to prove 
you did it first!

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