# Question about Compact Disc logo **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 30, 2001, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-compact-disc-logo/90545 "2001-10-30T16:24:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-compact-disc-logo/90545/1 "2001-10-30T16:24:36Z")
On every single CD I’ve ever bought as well as every single CD player I see this logo. It can’t be a copyrighted/trademarked logo otherwise only one company would use it. So my question is: Is this some kind of government regulation? Or was the logo designed by someone and given free to the music/electronics industry? Why was the logo on CD’s prior to the advent of DVD’s? I mean obviously music that came in a 5 inch square box had to be a CD, right? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-compact-disc-logo/90545/2 "2001-10-30T17:01:35Z")
Bigger than the government; it is required by Sony/Philips, the corporate partners who developed the CD standard in the early eighties. All CD’s are made under license from them, and compatible discs must bear the familiar CD logo. Here is a link to the [Sony CD page](http://sdm.sony.com/art/cdlogos.html) that descibes the various permutations for CD Audio, CD-ROM, Photo-CD, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-compact-disc-logo/90545/3 "2001-10-30T17:05:26Z")
A lot of CD standards and technology are owned and licenced by Philips & Sony. I think the logo is theirs and its use is probably a condition of the licencing. A disk does not necessarily have to be a Compact Disc, it could be an optical disk of a number of other data standards. It may seem a bit foolish now, as obviously a music disk of that size is going to be a CD, but when first introduced there was no knowing what other competing standards may appear and gain acceptance. So the CD logo made it clear exactly to which standard it belonged and assured the customer they were buying a compatable item. ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-compact-disc-logo/90545/4 "2001-10-30T17:09:15Z")
> [@](#): > > It can’t be a copyrighted/trademarked logo otherwise only one company would use it. Actually, it _is_ a copyrighted/trademarked logo. The Compact Disc standard is owned by Philips Electronics and Sony. The logo shows that the disc in question meets the Philips/Sony licensing requirements (and should therefore work in any player designed to play discs that meet the Philips/Sony standard). ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-compact-disc-logo/90545/5 "2001-10-30T17:13:26Z")
Bah, obviously the time I took to answer was long enough for **Fear Itself** to get in before me, but not long enough to spell **licensing** and **compatible** correctly. Idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-compact-disc-logo/90545/6 "2001-10-30T17:34:23Z")
By the way, **furryman** , I approve of your sig. You may kiss my ring. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2001, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-compact-disc-logo/90545/7 "2001-10-30T18:47:34Z")
An interesting question about the CD-Audio logo is whether some of the newer copy protected CDs are entitled to use it if they don’t adhere to the licensing standard. ---
**Author:** ![furryman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/furryman/32/99_2.png) [@furryman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furryman)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2001, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-about-compact-disc-logo/90545/8 "2001-10-31T15:10:48Z")
Wow, you must really be spooky **Fear Itself** if even Roosevelt was scared of you. :eek: