Button I'm planning on giving out, thoughts?

[Ringo5tarr]

[euhlmann]

Originally Posted by Ringo5tarr

STEAM BORKS

Stop it Ringo, you are doing me a frighten

[Lil' Lavery]

10/10 would wear

[Msinger13480]

How soon are you going to have these? We are probably not going to see each other at a competition because we're in a different state, but would I still be able to get one for my friend? She loves dogs and robotics with all her heart.

[Poseidon5817]

Robot doggo

[GaryVoshol]

OK, I'll be the guy to throw the cold water. It probably violates FIRST's branding and trademark rules.

[Mammaloon]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

OK, I'll be the guy to throw the cold water. It probably violates FIRST's branding and trademark rules.

Its just a joke I don't think FIRST would care that much. I would be extremely surprised to see them go after something like this.

[Hitchhiker 42]

Originally Posted by Mammaloon

Its just a joke I don't think FIRST would care that much. I would be extremely surprised to see them go after something like this.

If we get this serious, I'm sure Ringo could simply shoot FIRST a quick email asking whether they'd be okay with it. I'm 95% sure they'd approve.

[bobbysq]

Originally Posted by Mammaloon

Its just a joke I don't think FIRST would care that much. I would be extremely surprised to see them go after something like this.

Indiana FIRST is 100% serious and FIRST isn't even going after them. I'd say anything's fair game.

[EricH]

Originally Posted by bobbysq

Indiana FIRST is 100% serious and FIRST isn't even going after them. I'd say anything's fair game.

Unless, you know, Indiana FIRST did something silly like ask permission from HQ before doing it. Or read the branding standards and make sure their logo conformed to those at the time (standards can change; I want to say there was a logo change in the last 10 years or so). You'll also notice that it's a rather different logo--no triangle, and "Indiana" is in there.

The difference between that logo and the one under discussion is that the Indiana FIRST logo is clearly different than the FIRST logo. Ask somebody who doesn't know about FIRST. But the logo on the proposed button isn't substantially different--there's a couple of letters different in a rather noisy area. Could be confusing.

When it comes to branding, companies can really get touchy about perceived misuse of their brands/names. I'm not saying that FIRST would come after you with a platoon of lawyers--they probably won't--but if you ask permission (with a copy of the image) and they say it's OK, then it is OK, no question about it. If they say it's not OK, then it's not OK.

[euhlmann]

Originally Posted by GaryVoshol

OK, I'll be the guy to throw the cold water. It probably violates FIRST's branding and trademark rules.

Originally Posted by FIRST STEAMWORKS_Logo Guide_PLEASE READ.pdf

Do not remove or add any other elements to the logo (artwork/photos, other logos, team numbers, words, etc.). Use as provided.

[OwenDotCode]

Adding to this
http://www.firstinspires.org/sites/d...a terials.pdf
Says:

FIRST and LEGO copyrighted materials may never be used in any modified form.

[Ringo5tarr]

Rip, Alright, I'll move on to some other button then

[troy_dietz]

With enough modification, it would be "legal".
The only issue is that it would require completely recreating the logo in such a way that there is a very clear difference between the original and your creation, but then you miss the point of creating a "parody" button in the first place.

Because you wouldn't be selling them (at least, I assume so) and they wouldn't be very widely distributed, you fall into a bit more of a grey area.

If you really want to make a "STEAMBorks" button/pin, you could find a similar font and write the name near the top, and them outline the entire image with a ring gear.

[TJP123]

Originally Posted by Ringo5tarr

Ok, I'm going to show my age here.

What's a STEAM Bork?