how would you handle this?

[dan_nelson]

I have a client who wants to have some signage cut for friends and family /orders of 20 to 40 items.but the problem is that its professional teams logos .We would be only cutting parts no assembly. I would have to get the images online and import into my computer so there would be a record buried somewhere. Licencing is a huge deal but I see pirateing done all the time for personal use and small sales (craft fairs). we run a ligit business so we thinking stay away. any thoughts ? Dan and Bridget Nelson

[Brady Watson]

Yes - Stay away. The profit you make is miniscule compared to what legal fees could be. It doesn't matter if it is for friends, family or the man on the moon. If you are making more than one, you are in production...and if you want to get technical, you are stealing.

I go through this all the time with laser scanning. Unless you have written permission from the person who owns the artwork, copyright or patent holder - then you are stealing someone else's work. This includes derivative works. Integrity & ethics are important to me, as well as my customers. Which is why my customer's don't see their files getting passed around the internet on a 'can I get that file' free for all...It's along the same lines as cutting bootlegs...Integrity & your word is all you really have in this world...and when you violate that, you get bitten.

-B

[cowboy1296]

i do agree with brady

[knight_toolworks]

the logo's are right on sites that are free to access. if it were only a few that would be one thing but so many no that's not a good thing.

[bob_reda]

The law is the law. Is it alright just to beat up someone a little? How much is a couple? they may be on free sites, but the reproducing with out the written premission of all the major sports teams or others that own the symbol is illegal.

[jhedlund58]

I hesitate to respond because i generally agree with all the above..... BUT i looked into this at depth earlier in my cnc life.

1. my accountant told me to ask a lawyer
2. my general counsel told me that he's not a patent attorney and could refer me to one, but in general he said the creating of files and logos is OK. where people get into trouble is when they attach or fake the hologram on product showing they are licensed by the owning entity.

i did not contact a patent attorney, but as noted above... these plaques etc are all over the internet... u can see them on e-bay.. itsy... etc in mass. And u can go into wallmart and find lots of sport sweatshirt... t-shirts etc for sale withoiut the NFL, MLB logos etc.

with that all said ... i decided to b safe and not sorry

I don't do it

[Ajcoholic]

It's always enticing to use a trademarked logo, like a sports team. But it isn't worth the headaches - all of which have been mentioned.

[michael_schwartz]

Sports teams are notoriously vicious when it comes to protecting the value of their branding, and other intellectual property assets.

If they found out this could quickly turn into a legal nightmare.

As an example, take a 5 dollar T shirt. Print and NFL logo on it, and you could easily sell it for $30.00. People pay hundreds of thousands, or even millions of dollars in licensing fees for the right to do this, for that reason.

If they started to let people use their branding in even small quantities, this would dilute that value. Just because people may get away with doesn't mean you will.

[Brian Moran]

Hi Rick,

Thank you for bringing those posts to our attention. I have now removed the thread as there were quite a few probable violations and it is impossible to police this individually. We had many posts in that thread asking posters to ensure that they had the rights to post the data, but these obviously had not worked.

Brian

[myxpykalix]

I see hundreds of variations on the Harley Davidson motorcycle logo and files all over the net. There is a fair use clause in the copyright law but that pertains to say copying pages out of a book to use in teaching for example.

I think if you were going to make a copy of the harley logo and put it on your wall it wouldn't be as much an issue as if you were making 50 to pass out to all the friends, or when you make a profit on producing something with their logo.

I think it is one of those things like spitting on the sidewalk, it might be against the law but not worth the time to give you a ticket over. It might boil down to them deciding not to bother to prosecute because it's not worth their time, if they found out but i'm sure you would get a sternly worded letter at least!:eek:

[tmerrill]

Most people won't do something because they know it to be wrong. The rest make decisions based on whether they can get away with it or not.

Considering what many of us use our machines for we need the integrity to do what is right.

Same applies for how people obtain the software they use...

Tim

[dan_nelson]

Thanks for all the replys. My wife and partner was in the right to raise a red flag in front of my face.although it was hard to see thru all the dollar bills. Dan and Bridget Nelson correct that Bridget and Dan nelson