VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
Moderator: Moderators
- Mozartkügel
- Vic 20 Amateur
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:22 pm
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-WR1I ... GRkZne4B_Q
- Location: Finland
VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
Hi does anyone happen to know if it's safe to put that wonderful VIC-20 logo on your own games cover artwork and selling the game commercially? And I use the term commercially loosely because it would be pretty lame if they'd sue for selling ten copies on C-cassette for five euros each.
Still I read on lemon64 that you can't use the commodore logo without risk, and I also read on AtariAge that apparently the current Atari chases infringers on a really ridiculous level (I think eJagfest can't use Ataris logo anymore and stuff like that). I also read that some Nintendo and Sega "homebrews" would get away by stating on the boxart that "This product is not sponsored or endorsed by Sega/Nintendo".
Still I read on lemon64 that you can't use the commodore logo without risk, and I also read on AtariAge that apparently the current Atari chases infringers on a really ridiculous level (I think eJagfest can't use Ataris logo anymore and stuff like that). I also read that some Nintendo and Sega "homebrews" would get away by stating on the boxart that "This product is not sponsored or endorsed by Sega/Nintendo".
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
This should be the current trademark holder:
http://www.commodorecorp.com/
Although their site looks like crap, I know that icomp.de finally managed to get ahold of them to license the C= logo for some of his products.
http://www.commodorecorp.com/
Although their site looks like crap, I know that icomp.de finally managed to get ahold of them to license the C= logo for some of his products.
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
According the US Patent and Trademark Office the "VIC-20" wordmark is "dead".
[edit]
The link to search results expires, so I guess it isn't linkable. This is the link to the search page:
http://tess2.uspto.gov/
Click on "Basic Word Mark Search " then enter "vic-20" and it will list all info about that trademark.
I was going to attach a screenshot of the search results but the attachments function for the forums isn't working today...
[edit]
The link to search results expires, so I guess it isn't linkable. This is the link to the search page:
http://tess2.uspto.gov/
Click on "Basic Word Mark Search " then enter "vic-20" and it will list all info about that trademark.
I was going to attach a screenshot of the search results but the attachments function for the forums isn't working today...
- Mozartkügel
- Vic 20 Amateur
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:22 pm
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-WR1I ... GRkZne4B_Q
- Location: Finland
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
Thanks so much guys! Yay! It appears indeed to be dead/cancelled. That's good news for that authentic feeling when someone's creating new games / cover art. I also took a screenshot but I can't see an attachment option anywhere.
- Mike
- Herr VC
- Posts: 4842
- Joined: Wed Dec 01, 2004 1:57 pm
- Location: Munich, Germany
- Occupation: electrical engineer
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
akator wrote:I was going to attach a screenshot of the search results but the attachments function for the forums isn't working today...
The "General Topics" section in Denial doesn't allow for attachments.Mozartkügel wrote:I also took a screenshot but I can't see an attachment option anywhere.
I've moved the topic to the "Collecting and History" section.
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
Ah ha, good to knowMike wrote:The "General Topics" section in Denial doesn't allow for attachments.
I've moved the topic to the "Collecting and History" section.
- Mozartkügel
- Vic 20 Amateur
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:22 pm
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-WR1I ... GRkZne4B_Q
- Location: Finland
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
Does anyone know how these things work? Is the trademark "protected" for the community as it has ended, or can anyone grab it now? Is it horribly expensive or should the trademark somehow be bought by the VIC-20 community for the VIC-20 community to be used on new games and such, to protect it from some random/greedy company grabbing it? Or perhaps VIC-20 is too niche compared to the c64 so it wouldn't make any sense taking such steps?
Has there been many physical releases over the last years? I saw Psytronik had the spider game, and then I know of Cheese & Onion and Pentagorat. Also I saw in one thread Jef-20 was selling Haunt/It Came from the Grave on tape. I know it's quite a small detail, but It steals a little bit from the feeling that people for example are not able to put the Commodore or Atari logo etc. on their homebrew game cover art. Also that VIC-20 logo is so much fun.<3
Btw. I also found an EU TM-search, it also lists US and CA VIC-20 TM's ended/expired:
https://www.tmdn.org/tmview/welcome
Has there been many physical releases over the last years? I saw Psytronik had the spider game, and then I know of Cheese & Onion and Pentagorat. Also I saw in one thread Jef-20 was selling Haunt/It Came from the Grave on tape. I know it's quite a small detail, but It steals a little bit from the feeling that people for example are not able to put the Commodore or Atari logo etc. on their homebrew game cover art. Also that VIC-20 logo is so much fun.<3
Btw. I also found an EU TM-search, it also lists US and CA VIC-20 TM's ended/expired:
https://www.tmdn.org/tmview/welcome
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
Found this on www.quora.com
You can see the full page here.Konstantinos Konstantinides, EE, Patent Agent
Answered Dec 5, 2014 · Author has 26.8k answers and 20.2m answer views
It depends, and you should consult an attorney for a proper answer. The lapsed trademark may still be used in commerce, in which case you will not be allowed to use it or register it. (It is not a requirement that a trademark must be registered to be used, but registration does offer some legal advantages). The logo itself may also be protected under copyright law.
- Kweepa
- Vic 20 Scientist
- Posts: 1315
- Joined: Fri Jan 04, 2008 5:11 pm
- Location: Austin, Texas
- Occupation: Game maker
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
Ooh, fascinating site!
[non functioning link removed]
Commodore trademark "Dead"...
[non functioning link removed]
Commodore trademark "Dead"...
Last edited by Mike on Thu Mar 07, 2019 1:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: (mod: as has been established in earlier posts in this thread, the link to search results expires, thus it's not linkable)
Reason: (mod: as has been established in earlier posts in this thread, the link to search results expires, thus it's not linkable)
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
What might it cost to buy rights to the logo? I'm tempted! haha
- orion70
- VICtalian
- Posts: 4341
- Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2006 4:45 am
- Location: Piacenza, Italy
- Occupation: Biologist
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
Jeff the Mighty Owner of all VIC-20 logo copyrights... Sounds great! We could help if you want
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
There could be an issue that the VIC 20 logo has the Commodore logo in the middle of of, and that logo is still trademarked. To be safe, you could photoshop out the chicken beak and make it just a rainbow colored letter C.
- orion70
- VICtalian
- Posts: 4341
- Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2006 4:45 am
- Location: Piacenza, Italy
- Occupation: Biologist
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
...or change its shape slightly
- Mozartkügel
- Vic 20 Amateur
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2018 2:22 pm
- Website: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-WR1I ... GRkZne4B_Q
- Location: Finland
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
I was also thinking about the C= logo inside the VIC-20 logo. I think it would look nice without the chicken beak too, or maybe with a red hyphen.
Re: VIC-20 Logo Trademark?
Not perfect, but it took me less than 5 minutes. It looks enough like that classic logo that many people probably won't even notice the change.
...