[WEB4LIB] Use of Logos and Tradmarks in Web pages etc.

[Nick Arnett]

At 07:08 AM 10/19/99 -0700, Paul H. Gray wrote:
>I know the letter of the law gives the owner of a trademark rights to 
>determine when and how it is displayed.
>
>Does anyone know of any case law supporting this -
>
>i.e. A library, school etc. being sued by a company for displaying their 
>logo without permission.

Trademarks are only infringed if they are used in a way that is likely to 
cause confusion, so such cases are quite unlikely and narrow in their 
implications.  If trademark holders had complete control, you wouldn't see 
advertising that makes direct comparisons between products, for 
example.  First Amendment rights are paramount, so courts generally are 
reluctant to put restrictions on any sort of communications.

I am not a lawyer, but I try to stay on top of these issues and have edited 
and published a book on intellectual property issues for multimedia production.

Nick