Copy Writing / Trade Mark Logos

[Harry182]

Hi Guys.

After a bit of info/advice...

I See a lot of sellers selling sticker packs on eBay for Mountain Bike's, skateboards ect using logos from massive brands like Monster Energy, Red bull, Rockshox and so on...

How do they get away with it? or whats the way to do it correctly? It is something I've thought about getting into, but wouldn't want to put my self at risk. I Know the likely hood of getting caught is probably minimal, but theirs always that one example.

I Live in England

Cheers for the help

 

[bannertime]

To do it correctly you'd need to contact the company's marketing or brand dept and get written permission to use their logos. You'll have to provide samples of finished products, pricing, etc. Most likely you'll be ignored from the start or told to not pursue it at all. Most of these companies already have manufactures that are licensed and produce this stuff in very high quantities. Or some companies may even pay for a license to use the logos. This even applies to things like Yeti and Real Tree camo patterns.

A lot of companies can get by simply because there's so many, you literally can't catch them all. Some companies like Disney have stopped pursuing a lot of the Etsy type stores, but I don't expect a business like Red Bull to stop any time soon.

 

[Solventinkjet]

Good info above. Just to add, a lot of companies will charge an upfront fee and then also take a hefty percentage as a royalty on everything you sell. I think Disney at some point was $30,000 just to talk to them and then they would take something like 45% of sales. Hardly worth it as a small shop or even mid sized shop. Plenty of people do it regardless of laws etc. The thing you need to figure out is if it's worth risking your business because if they do choose you to make an example they will put you out of business. I know sign shop owners who have had the Disney lawyers show up personally at their home. That being said, I also have customers who make almost their entire yearly salary on unlicensed Broncos and Rockies gear. The general rule of thumb is, if you didn't design it, it's not legal to make money off of it.

 

[Billct2]

yep what they said....it's one thing to do a one off for a customer, that usually can be gotten away with, but to be out there marketing on the web you will probably get caught. and depending on who catches you it could put you out of business and worse.

 

[Kentucky Wraps]

3 Reasons NOT to get "into" doing that stuff.

A) It's illegal without permission.
B) There are TONS of people doing it with tiny cheap machines from their home or Mall Kiosk.
C) ebay is Saturated by folks offering them.

 

[rjssigns]

Don't mess with Red Bull or Harley-Davidson. They are relentless and have deep pockets.

 

[oldgoatroper]

Don't mess with Red Bull or Harley-Davidson. They are relentless and have deep pockets.

Yep... I've heard that Harley-Davidson makes more from licensing their brand for merchandise than they do from manufacturing bikes, so they tend to keep a tight reign on that stuff... I've wondered just what FoMoCo had to pay to license the HD logo for their pickups. Same with International Trucks. No small change, I'm sure...

 

[IvoryHoward]

totally agree with Kentucky Wraps

 

[Scotchbrite]

I had a friend that would sell those fancy 4x4 stickers to put on bedsides and if he strayed into getting too brand specific, he got letters from the various auto manufacturers. And usually they would have eBay lock his store down for a while until he resolved it.

 

[signbrad]

The NFL's requirements to produce branded merchandise are quite daunting. The NFL makes more money off merchandise than from ticket sales.

NFL Licensing Agreement

Brad in KC

 

[IvoryHoward]

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[Bobby H]

The Internet, social media and Google image searches have made the world a lot "smaller." It's harder for an illegal merchandizing operation to stay under the radar selling things like popular logos as vinyl graphics. The same goes for willful acts of trademark infringement.

Generally, the only time we reproduce major corporate trademarks is when we're working directly with that company or one of its dealers, franchisees, etc. The use has to be legitimate. And we reproduce the brand artwork according to the company's guidelines. We will not sell such graphics to anyone from the general public just wanting something like a logo for their pickup truck back window. Those people can visit the flea markets for that action.