Imitating famous logos for small business t shirts

[laxplayer]

We have a small construction company based in FL.

We want to create t-shirts for our company with imitations of famous products with our company logo.

For example, use the Godfather font and design with our company name. Or the Cocacola logo with our name.

Is this legal?

Thank you.

 

[Zigner]

We have a small construction company based in FL.

We want to create t-shirts for our company with imitations of famous products with our company logo.

For example, use the Godfather font and design with our company name. Or the Cocacola logo with our name.

Is this legal?

Thank you.

No, you would be infringing on the intellectual property rights of other entities. Is there a reason you can't come up with something original?

 

[quincy]

We have a small construction company based in FL.

We want to create t-shirts for our company with imitations of famous products with our company logo.

For example, use the Godfather font and design with our company name. Or the Cocacola logo with our name.

Is this legal?

Thank you.

Logos can be protected under both copyright and trademark laws. Famous logos cannot be used without permission or the high risk of a lawsuit.

Holders of famous marks are especially vigilant when checking the marketplace for infringers. They are not shy about sending out cease and desist notices, getting injunctions, and suing unauthorized users of their marks.

 

[The Occultist]

You have the potential of going with "spoof" or "satire" or any other specific term under the same umbrella, but you'd be unwise to not seek consultation with a local attorney versed in such law. Yes, you might have to pay for the consultation, but that would be a wise investment to protect yourself from a potentially costly lawsuit. The advice from the previous posters is correct, so if you'd rather save your money, then give up and find something else to put on your product.

 

[quincy]

It doesn't sound as if laxplayer wanted to parody the logos but rather copy them for his own commercial use, and that is definitely going to cause the trademark/copyright holder (or the trademark/copyright holder's attorneys) to take notice.

Trying to successfully pull off a parody of a famous trademark takes a lot of skill - more skill than most people have - and even good parodies spawn costly lawsuits that can take years to resolve in court. A small business is likely to go bankrupt.

It makes far more sense for laxplayer to either come up with an original design for the construction company tee-shirts or pay to have someone create original designs for the construction company. Using rights-protected material without authorization for a commercial venture is almost always a bad idea.