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  1. #1

    Is this legal - company logos on Thingiverse

    I was just browsing Thingiverse and saw this guy that has made keychains:


    Is this legal, since these are trademarked items?

  2. #2
    Super Moderator DrLuigi's Avatar
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    Since you arent making any profit from it what so ever, i don't think anyone will complain about it,
    As also diffrent STLs are online on thingiverse of other products like Mercedes logo and such.

    As i see it, its even advertising for them :P

  3. #3
    What DrLuigi says is true to a certain extent. However, it is a trademark that they are giving the design out for. Legally they should ask for permission. However, I would doubt any of these companies would waste their time bothering with it, since the designer isn't making any profit from it. However, there could be issues if someone prints them and then sells them.

  4. #4
    Technician
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    The first rule of printing copyrighted logo is to not talk about printing copyrighted logos.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Solidabble View Post
    Is this legal, since these are trademarked items?
    Probably depends on the exact scope of the trademark.

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by crowbar View Post
    The first rule of printing copyrighted logo is to not talk about printing copyrighted logos.
    hahah very true

  7. #7
    As mentioned above, technically one needs to seek approval from the trademark owner before putting it out there. However, if the trademark owner wanted to get upset about it, they could request a take-down, which I'm sure thingiverse would immediately oblige to. Here at https://3Dagogo.com we have the same policy...

    At that point, if they wanted to sue, they would have to show that damages occurred. If you were profiting from the design, there are some damages. This is one reason it is more important to us than it is to Thingiverse. At 3Dagogo, you can profit from the design, therefore there can be immediate damages. They could also go for damages if they felt you defaced their company in some fashion.

    The reality is that these companies mostly don't care about this unless it becomes a bit bigger.

    3DP is definitely moving that direction and this type of thing will become a serious issue, but for now it's all still in good fun! Enjoy the moment!

    Drew
    Cofounder, CEO
    https://3Dagogo.com

  8. #8
    I have seen cases where "cease and desist" orders have been issued in cases like this. Usually if a person doesn't obey the cease and desist, then a lawsuit will follow if the company thinks it's worth pursuing. Lawyers and legal fees can be a b*tch though.

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