Trademarks to Avoid
DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE. I AM NOT A LAWYER. DO NOT DEPEND ON THIS.
“Cityscapes and close-ups of generic-looking structures may be okay, depending on the situation. Unique or identifiable buildings/structures may not be acceptable as the main focus of an image, regardless of context. Museums, sporting and entertainment venues (both interior and exterior) are not acceptable without a release. As a general rule, places that charge admission fees usually require special permission and fees for commercial photography, which makes them problematic for RF licensing.”
— iStockphoto
Trademarks and Logos to Avoid
The following trademarks and associated logos have been flagged by microstock companies as subjects to avoid.
- Airline codes on arrival and departure boards
- Airstream trailers
- Aspirin
- Barbie dolls
- Beverly Hills sign
- Bicycle playing cards
- Blackberry products
- Bluetooth
- Burberry tartan
- Car logos, including Audi, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, VW
- CAT (Caterpillar) logo
- City of London and City of Westminster insignia on street signs
- Crayola
- DVD
- Democratic donkey
- Emmy award
- Faber-Castell pencils
- Ferrari logo and car shapes
- FDNY
- FIFA World Cup trophy
- Garmin GPS products
- Harley Davidson
- Hershey’s Kiss
- Hollywood Sign
- Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Hot Wheels
- I “heart” NY
- John Deere products
- Lego
- Levi Strauss jeans
- ‘Lil Tree Pine Shaped Car Fresheners
- London Underground sign
- LTI Taxis London’s classic
- Major and minor league sports logos and uniforms
- NYFD
- NYPD
- Okanui Hibiscus
- Olympic athletes, logo and torch
- Oscar award
- Pike Place Market sign
- Red Cross and Red Crescent Emblems (internationally protected symbols)
- Republican elephant
- Rubik’s Cube
- Samsung phones
- Scrabble
- Smiley Face icon
- Superman and DC Comics
- U.S. Federal Department seals
- Viewmaster
- VW logo
- Wi-Fi
Cars
Not Acceptable:
- Visible brand names or logos, regardless of the car’s age or model.
- Cars manufactured after 1985 as the main focus.
- Luxury cars of any kind or age
- Exotic cars, regardless of context and size
- Car lots (dealerships) with several cars of the same model or brand visible.
Acceptable:
- Cars manufactured in 1985 or earlier, as the main focus or not.
- Cars manufactured after 1985 that are not luxury cars and are not the main focus of the image, representing less than 20% of the image.
- Cars as the main focus at certain angles or in certain contexts where they are not recognizable.
- Exotic cars, regardless of context and size
- In some cases luxury cars may be acceptable if they play a very minor role in the image, such as traffic shots or street views containing several cars.