# NYPD Licensing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 19, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nypd-licensing/832755 "2019-04-19T04:26:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NiceGuyJack](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/niceguyjack/32/3069_2.png) [@NiceGuyJack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NiceGuyJack)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2019, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nypd-licensing/832755/1 "2019-04-19T04:26:14Z")
I was watching an episode of Blue Bloods when I started thinking about licensing. I remembered the last time I flew out of JFK, I bought a tank top with the NYPD logo. I also remembered reading somewhere that the NYPD makes money on licensing their logo for such products. So I started wondering if a show like Blue Bloods have to pay licensing fees to the NYPD as they use the actual NYPD logos and uniforms etc. I googled it and was surprised to find the answer was [yes](https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/blue-bloods-why-the-show-has-to-pay-a-licensing-fee-to-the-nypd.html/). I can understand a t-shirt, but I thought perhaps art/entertainment had some kind of free to use depictions of government departments. According to the article linked above, this is mainly because Blue Bloods try to be as accurate/authentic to the NYPD look as possible. So now I’m curious, have other shows paid licensing fees? Did Hill Street Blues pay the NYPD? I can’t remember if the logos were the same, and I can’t recall how accurate authentic the uniforms were. Or what about Brooklyn 99, a comedy, arguably a parody of the NYPD. Aren’t parodies considered a humorous commentary and so do not need to pay any licensing fees? What about other police departments regularly depicted on TV or film, like the LAPD, CPD or the FBI/CIA? And what about the military. Considering all the war films, is there a licensing required when TV/Film makers use actual unit logos in film? Finally, what about internationally? Is this uniquely American? Or are there licensing requirements in other countries. I have certainly seen plenty of TV/Film featuring, the Scotland Yard, Interpol, Canadian Mounted Police, MI6 etc. This turned into multiple questions, and therefor have a possibility for multiple answers, so not sure if this belongs elsewhere, but I’ll start it in GQ for now and let the moderators decide if it should be moved.