If Iwant to hand draw and paint college sports team logos on wood, can I sell these artworks legally?
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If Iwant to hand draw and paint college sports team logos on wood, can I sell these artworks legally?
The artworks are one of a kind hand painted carvings made from stumps and wood. Example: I have carved and painted a wolverine. He is standing trophy style on top of part of stump with bark left on it. On the front of this sculpture on the bark part of the stump, a circular area of bark is removed then school logo, in this case, the Michigan University logo is painted on that area. The wolverine figure is totally original. The stump’s will always have differences. These will always be custom ordered produced.
Asked on October 15, 2010 under Business Law, Michigan
Answers:
M.T.G., Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
If you do so without consent of the team and paying anything to them it will be a matter of copyright or trademark infringement. Those logos are property of the school. Schools make big bucks off of their logos and they would not take too kindly to having them attached to products that they make no money from. Your product, though, sounds like it may have a following. It may be possible to offer it through the college and make a deal giving the college a percentage of the piece sold. Seek help with setting up that deal if you think that it is the way you want to go. You will want a good contract attorney to help you. Good luck.
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