In order to create a visual representation of your brand, your company has to have a distinctive logo in addition to a name. The market specialty and brand personality of your firm must be accurately reflected in the logo. Additionally, it must be distinctive enough to set your business apart from the competition.
Applying for copyright registration is crucial since your logo is a crucial component of both your brand and your company.
What Is Logo Copyright?
Similar to a trademark or patent, the process of logo copyright is a type of security meant to grant you ownership over your intellectual property. Any creative work or tangible idea may be protected by copyrights and trademarks as long as it is unique.
When you copyright or trademark your intellectual property, such as a logo or name, you are requesting assistance from the government to ensure that no other company can profit from the use of your property. Copyrighting a logo might also help to safeguard the reputation of your company.
Logo Copyright vs Trademark:- What Makes Them Different
You cannot adequately protect your name or logo against infringement if you merely copyright them without also trademarking them. Since it is something you produced and is considered to be your intellectual property, all you are doing is protecting your rights to it. If someone else wants to use your name and logo for their own reasons, a trademark can prevent that from happening.
Additionally, since copyright protects artistic creations, you cannot really copyright a name. This is precisely why you require a trademark to safeguard the intellectual property of your business, such as your logo. The key distinctions between trademarks and copyrights are listed below.
Trademark:-
Any term, phrase, symbol, or design, alone or in combination, may be used as a trademark to set one maker or seller apart from others engaged in the same line of work and selling the same goods or services.
This means that anything that adds to the distinctiveness of your company’s brand and the goods or services you provide can be registered as a trademark, including your company name, logo, slogan, symbol, and design.
Using your trademark, you may let people know that the goods, name, and logo of your business are all yours. You have the only right to use them concerning your products or services.
However, because a trademark does not offer protection against unauthorized reproduction, it excludes the hues and patterns of logos. It simply speaks of resemblances between the company’s mark and those that are really similar to it.
Thus, it limits the uses of the logo that could be deemed infringing by not referring to the benefits of the trademark but rather to confusion in the marketplace. In other words, if another party uses a similar logo design, it cannot be considered trademark infringement; instead, it is copyright infringement.
Using your name or logo by another company operating in the same sector does not protect you; however, trademark registration does. You’ll need to demonstrate that you came up with the name or logo for your firm before anyone else, which won’t be possible if you haven’t registered it.
You cannot defend yourself in court if you don’t register your trademark. Your company’s mark is legally and federally registered as a registered trademark. Anyone who attempts to register a name or design that is identical to or too similar to yours will be infringing on your trademark.
Logo Copyright:-
Original works that are expressed in a physical form, such as songs, paintings, photographs, movies, dance, and other original works of authorship, are protected by copyright. Companies have the right to copyright the audio, video, books, reports, and other original content they have produced, such as the logo design. Remember that every original work has copyright protection from the moment it is created. But because you then have paperwork to show your claim to it, registering it is what shields it from someone else seeking to utilize it for their own purposes.
You can file a lawsuit against someone for using your property if they attempt to imitate your unique creation, such as your logo, and pass it off as their own—but only if you have registered your copyright.
If your intellectual property is protected by a copyright that has been registered with the federal government, you can decide how it will be used, published, distributed, and displayed to the public.
Additionally, you can stop anyone from utilizing it for their personal gain. You have the right to your intellectual property because you have copyrighted it. Therefore, if someone tries to do that, you can sue them in a federal court.
Regarding the copyright protection of your logo, there is a trick. For your logo to be considered copyrightable and your copyright application to be authorized, it must possess the necessary level of creativity. Since your logo design, colors, and name are not protected by copyright, many straightforward logos are not considered copyrightable.
It will be simpler to register your copyright if your logo is a little more elaborate or beautiful.
How Can I Prevent the Unauthorized Use of My Logo?
Unfortunately, many dishonest businesses will steal your labor and pass it off as their own. These companies will copyright an unprotected logo, leaving you with no choice but to start your branding strategy again from the beginning.
Unbelievably many small businesses begin their hunt for the ideal logo on Google, looking for an image they can copy and paste into their brand assets.
By copyrighting, you may successfully prevent your logo from being copied and used by other businesses or brands. Any other organization that tries to use your logo without your consent after you’ve put your intellectual property protection in place can be sued.
How to Copyright a Logo: From the Start
You need to ensure that your assets are safeguarded now that you’ve selected your brand name and designed a logo for the brand. Many people will blatantly violate others’ intellectual and artistic property.
Make sure to copyright your logo regardless of the industry you’re in or the size of your company. However, remember that copyright does not protect your brand name, titles, and slogan.
How to Submit a Request for Your Logo’s Copyright
- Fill out the copyright registration form on the online registration website. Visit the United States Copyright Office’s official website to submit your copyright application online if your company is based there. The processing time for these applications can take up to eight months.
- Click the eCO Online Registration button after you’ve reached the US Copyright Office website. This will take you to a Form CO that you must complete. Your personal details, the names of the owner and creator, the type of copyright documentation, and your contact information are all required on the form. You need to provide a graphic depiction of your logo to establish copyright.
- The following step entails uploading your logo file and paying the $65 registration cost using a credit or debit card, an electronic cheque, or a deposit account with the US Copyright Office. Your copyright registration will then be confirmed and given a pending status until approved.
What to Do After Securing a Logo’s Copyright
So what do you do now that your application for logo copyright process or protection has been approved?
The copyright sign is often attached to your logo as the initial step. You’ve probably noticed that several internet logos include the letter C encircled by a circle. If you additionally apply for trademark registration, you may also add the TM trademark sign.
Some businesses even choose to include information about the year their logo was initially published in order to lend some legacy to their brand identification. Your plan for promoting brand transparency can be supported by including a date in your trademarked logo.
It’s also crucial to confirm that you genuinely own your business mark if someone else designed your logo for you. The designer of the logo artwork automatically owns the design in the US. However, they can give you the rights to that logo. Make sure you are aware of the documents you must sign and the steps necessary to obtain your logo.
Typically, you can automatically assert ownership of the design when you register your logo copyright process. The US government can require you to provide a purchase agreement or any comparable paperwork between you and your designer as proof that you own the artwork.
Benefits of Copyrighting a Logo
- Your claim for logo copyright is made public.
- You may file a lawsuit against anyone who violates your copyrights in federal court.
- It can be used as evidence of copyright ownership.
- Become qualified to receive court costs, attorney fees, and statutory damages in a legal proceeding.
- Consult the International Trade Commission for assistance.
- Stop unauthorized copies from entering the nation.
- It provides the framework for document recording at the Copyright Office.
How Unboxfame Can Help You With Logo Copyright
The copyright specialists at Unboxfame have a wealth of knowledge to assist you with your copyright problems. When you have us on your side, you can depend on the following:
- Avoiding confusion brought on by two businesses utilizing the same logo.
- Ensuring an individual, distinctive, and memorable brand identity.
- Protect a brand’s reputation from those who intentionally or purposefully strive to damage it.
- Ensuring that nobody else chooses the logo in the same way as you, regardless of whether they are in the same industry or specialty.
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