Cover that logo, or else
At what point do you stop being a fan and start being a copyright infringer? Coming to a courtroom near you, real soon now. The Montreal suppertime news mentioned a restaurant that put up a poster. Advertising poster. Their product (sandwich) being prepared by a cartoon character wearing a hockey jersey.
How did we know this was a hockey jersey, and not some generic smear of paint. Why, the logo, of course. A famous logo in the area, given that the local professional hockey club has had that same logo (or a variant) for just over a century. Familiar, to the point of contempt.
Now, I guess if some kid draws the logo on his scribbler, that’s fandom. If his father puts it on a sandwich sign, the line has been crossed. In fact, Dad now faces a fine of $90 thousand (not payable in sandwiches or similar fare) along with the (already obeyed) injunction.
Now, I’m taking a risk here by posting a poster from the “real world”, but I hope this constitutes fair use. If not, I want to proclaim that I am a fan of the man’s sandwiches. Really. And I believe that if you are in the area you should stock up on schwarma. After all, since a very rich hockey club needs his cash to pay for a minute of some benchwarming bum, he needs your support. Be a fan.
And if you have a tattoo of a hockey club logo, maybe you’d better cover it up. Hockey clubs that start golf season too soon have eyes everywhere. Hungry eyes.
