logo treatment

[jhart]

California
What are the laws around changing a logo that has not been trademarked or copyrighted by the creator or customer. The creator (outsourced graphics artist) of the image is claiming intellectual rights, and does not want us to use the logo that he created for us, as we are transferring marketing responsibilities to another firm (sore feelings).
By altering the logo minimally, can we continue to use it as our company logo, and not worry about any legal ramifications?

 

[charlie neville]

Did you pay for it's creation...

...either as an employee or as a subcontractor! If so you cetainly have arguable rights to it. If not you might consider offering to 'buy' it from him.

Minor alterations matter little if the concept is tracable, and it appears to be. I work in graphic arts and have some minimal experience in this area. Negotation rather than litigation benefits all concerned most of the time.

charlie

 

[jhart]

thanks Charlie.