Missuse of the Amiga.org Logo?

[maffoo]

Argo wrote:
That's pretty cool. It would have been nice if they had done more than come to AO just to nick the logo.

To be fair to him, he might not have known it was the A.org logo. I just typed "amiga logo" into Google Image Search, and this was on the first page. It could be that he saw it and assumed that it was in the public domain.

I'm not saying it's right for him to just take it without checking copyright, but at least he's not trying to make money out of it.

[redrumloa]

@Roj

I'd have to disagree. The AO logo has been in use for how long now? Since Amiga Technology days? With the official nod of how many "Amiga" companies over the years? After a decade of usage, it is Wayne's property.

@Wayne
Remind me of this later, I want to discuss this with you. :-D

@roj,

I have had the Amiga's permission to use them to support the Amiga community since before Gateway came on the scene.  Arguably, we have had permission since right before Commodore itself folded.  

We also have a documented and uncontested use since 1995, which predates any of the current companies, so like it or not, the Amiga.org logo is in fact property of Amiga.org and in whole, me.

Wayne

[redrumloa]

Let's think positive here, this is probably not ill will on their part, probably just an oversight. This may be a situation that turn into a positive..

[Piru]

@maffoo

It could be that he saw it and assumed that it was in the public domain.

That's no excuse, really.

[Argo]

Then again look at some of the avatars here. Though it could be argued that they fall under fair use.

[sir_inferno]

redrumloa wrote:
Let's think positive here, this is probably not ill will on their part, probably just an oversight. This may be a situation that turn into a positive..

indeed! i mean they didn't set out to maliciously attack the effort of supporters of amiga.org...they're trying to support the amiga is general...no need to feel too malicious to them tbh...on the other hand, if they were making a profit from it (e.g. selling crappy amiga dvd's on ebay)

[irishmike]

I guess that my new logo is questionable.  I am beginning my company based on repairing Amigas and tried to make the logo reflect it, however, since I created the logo, I did make sure that if it becomes necessary, I could, in fact, remove the boing ball... Layers are our friends ;-)

I feel that because I too want to serve the Amiga community, that this is probably fair use, but if anyone ever challenges it... I have made concessions.

BTW:  For those of you who have been following, we have decided to make our company Non-Profit :-)

I still don't think anyone should "nick" the logo from someone and claim it to be their own.  IMO - A.org's logo is a derivitive work and as Wayne said, it is used with documented permission pre Amiga Inc, so that will hold up because the permission was granted in writing by the former copyright holders.  There would be some kind of "grandfather" situation there.

Anyhow, I think all reasonable legal means should be exhausted before people take the copyright laws into their own hands.  Amiga software, for example, is sometimes hard to track down an owner of the copyright because the project has been abandoned (in some cases many years) ago -- so while it may be technically illegal to "pirate" this software, there is no legal means to license it.  This doesn't make it right (in copyright law's eyes) but at least there was probably no other way to obtain license legally.  It can be a very grey area.

[Roj]

Okay, that makes sense. I probably heard that somewhere and had forgotten.

I don't think anything they're using is a work they're claiming as their own. Merely the entire poster is their own work of art in the same way Warhol used common items to create something entirely new.

I suppose I'm just trying to say that there are more important things to be bothered by.

[pierre]

hmmm, interesting.....
you guys know they have UAE for PSP also, no AO logo...  People are ripping it of because its a nice logo. That handheld unit looks sweet, I wonder why ppl don't do more with the PSP? This thing could BOING!