# Copyright Infringements **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2000, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377 "2000-01-17T17:57:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![yosemite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/3ab097/32.png) [@yosemite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yosemite)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2000, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377/21 "2000-01-19T07:14:00Z")
My first thought is, why would these big companies bother to sue? Almost invariably, it’ll make them look bad. I sometimes see these T-shirt logos w/ adaptations of product logos, but not that often. I suspect that these T-shirts have not inundated the market. They only appeal to a specialized clientelle.(sp?) (I am a Christian, and I don’t ever see myself wearing one. These T-shirts don’t appeal to me - seem rather dumb.) If a big company were to sue this smaller Christian T-shirt company, of course all the the major Christian groups throughout the country would kick up a fuss, giving all sorts of negative publicity. And, frankly, I suspect that many of the CEOs of these companies may be either religious themselves, or not terribly offended by the Christian take-off on their logos (or at least not offended enough to risk all that bad publicity.) So, why bother? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/original/2X/e/e489c3b7d8fce19c4b355dd4fc3f88cc39c34b87.png) [@system](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/system)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2000, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377/22 "2000-01-19T07:19:00Z")
> [@](#): > > My first thought is, why would these big companies bother to sue? You sue to protect your trademark. If you don’t, you lose the right to its exclusive use. Witness the hoopla we had around here a month or two ago over the trademark “The Straight Dope.” -Melin ---
**Author:** ![Brood\_McEto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@Brood\_McEto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brood_McEto)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2000, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377/23 "2000-01-19T07:32:00Z")
so it may not be legal to use trademarks without permission, but the legality deals with how far \ the trademark’s owner wants to push it, correct? A large company that has an image to uphold would never dream of pissing off the Christians by shutting down Ma & Pop’s T-shirt shop who misuse the image to glorify God. _i hope that made sense_ But, that same company would shut down Evil Ed’s Gritty T’s for using the same image to glorify Satan. It’s the same religion. Just a different leader. No one would rally for poor Ed there, now would they? I guess the moral of my rambling is that you can do anything that you want without fear of reprisal as long as you do it in God’s name? btw-I became a Christian at age 13. Once I graduated high school, I stopped attending church, but still believe as I did before. It’s just that now I sin a lot more 😉 So I’m not degrading Christianity, just wondering why is it that what’s ok for some isn’t ok for others. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2000, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377/24 "2000-01-20T06:09:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by BobT: > **Sounds can be patented. The sound you hear at the beginning of films with THX sound is patented.** Did _The Simsons_ producers need to get permission for the THX:The Audience is Listening™ parody last season or so? ---
**Author:** ![pricciar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f4b2a3/32.png) [@pricciar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pricciar)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2000, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377/25 "2000-01-19T21:10:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by Padeye: > Did _The Simsons_ producers need to get permission for the THX:The Audience is Listening™ parody last season or so? That could have been a mutual deal. Because, I saw that bit as an ad for THX in a Virginia theatre a couple of years ago. pat ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2000, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377/26 "2000-01-19T23:27:00Z")
I don’t believe “The Simpsons” used the exact sound that is described in the trademark. Here is how the sound is defined in Lucas Arts’ own trademark registration. > [@](#): > > The THX logo theme consists of 30 voices over seven measures, starting in a narrow range, 200 to 400 Hz, and slowly diverting to preselected itches encompassing three octaves. The 30 voices begin at pitches between 200 Hz and 400 Hz and arrive at pre-selected pitches spanning three octaves by the fourth measure. The highest pitch is slightly detuned while there are double the number of voices of the lowest two pitches. So, if you’re going to try to duplicate that, watch out. Darth Vader will strike back. ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2000, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377/27 "2000-01-20T16:20:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Logo’s aren’t copyrighted. Trademarks are. ## No, trademarks are trademarked, or have protection under common law, or both. And logos may be protected as trademarks and as the proper subject matter of copyright as a work under copyright. [http://members.xoom.com/labradorian/](http://members.xoom.com/labradorian/) ---
**Author:** ![labradorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@labradorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/labradorian)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2000, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377/28 "2000-01-20T16:21:00Z")
> [@](#): > > $325 is the basic fee if you want protection in one class. There are a lot of other fees however that you will most likely end up paying. > Right now renewals are $400 per class. The trademark is good for 10 years, but you can keep renewing it in perpetuity as long as you are using it. This sounds like U.S. law; we aren’t all in the U.S. Fees and terms vary around the world. * * * [http://members.xoom.com/labradorian/](http://members.xoom.com/labradorian/) ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2000, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377/29 "2000-01-21T06:03:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by labradorian: > \*\* This sounds like U.S. law; we aren’t all in the U.S. Fees and terms vary around the world. > \*\* The fees and terms do vary from country to country. If you want protection for your mark in a different country, you have to apply there separately. There are no international trademarks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/copyright-infringements/6377.md?page=1)