Logo copyrights

conciergelady1conciergelady1 subscriber Posts: 2
edited October 2007 in Protecting Your Ideas
I have been ordering my business cards from Vistaprint for about a  year or so. I was using the same image all this time.  So I decided to see if I could buy it and use it as my logo for print and website. They told me it wasnt available.
So I asked them how was I allowed to use it on my business cards then?  I didnt get an answer.  Does anyone know?
 
Also since I still need a logo I need to know what the process is.  I know its extra for the copyright protection but how much I dont know.  My question is this: if images are being sold to people without copyrights then what happens when someone wants the same image along with exclusive copyrights? It looks like other people may already have bought that image without having purchased the copyright protection. So this image may be  floating around. Is this correct? 
Thank you in advance for your feedback!
Concierge Lady
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Comments

  • conciergelady1conciergelady1 subscriber Posts: 2
     
    Thank you Nikole for your feedback. I know what I want and hopefully it will be available. I am hoping to be able to use the logo as well on my website for click-on links instead of the blue links.
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  • legallinklegallink subscriber Posts: 0
    Exclusive copyright is only for original creative works.  Vista prints is selling the same artwork or logo to thousands of people.  They own the copyright.  Technically speaking, you could not get that same logo or artwork produced anywhere else.
    You can copyright a logo normally, but as a business, it is better to trademark a logo as it offers more damages in cases of infringement.
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  • conciergelady1conciergelady1 subscriber Posts: 2
    Jeffrey, thanks for your advice.
     
    Sometimes it gets a little confusing knowing all the legal ins and outs of running a business.  I would image copyrighting a logo would be a lot less expensive that trademarking esp for me. I am just starting out in this business.
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  • consumertreehouseconsumertreehouse subscriber Posts: 11
    I have copyrighted and trademarked my logo. I did this the day that I singed off on the logo. I have the offical logo, but still trying to find the best fit with my site, that is why it`s not up at this point.I have a lawyer here in Los Angeles who has her own practice and she helped me with all the paperwork, etc....I copyrighted and trademarked my logo to have the best protection I can for future use. Better safe than sorry.If you have yet to create a logo, check out Worth1000.com. You can host a design contest through them and have several designers create a custom logo for you, then you pick the one that you like. This worked great for me.Good Luck
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  • entreplanetentreplanet subscriber Posts: 3
    When you get a card from a place like Vista Print, you are just using stock art that is available to anyone.
    I`d suggest if you want your own graphics to keep, you should contract an artist to create your logos and graphics.That`s right...the stock images are probably not trademarked but they just dont want to let u use them...you`ll have to make your own or hire a graph. design firm to do so
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