Let's review the FIRST Logo Standards

[Alexa Stott]

Originally Posted by Mercury Rising

What about animations? I know probably >30% national level animations have some kind of modification / inaccurate use of the FIRST logo

I think this is one of the reasons why FIRST should update/ammend/re-word their policy. Obviously, if there had been a problem with the inacurate or modified logos in the animations, FIRST would have said something about it (probably in one of the updates or something).

I wouldn't be too worried about it, though.

[Morgan Gillespie]

I guess it is there just in case another group takes the logo and uses it in a clearly mocking manner or just to steal the logo as their own FIRST has the ability to take legal action.
How many times has this been brought up? 6+?

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Tristan Lall

You know, that's a good point—after all, if you look at various FIRST-sanctioned uses of the logo, they don't always respect their own guidelines, indicating that maybe they don't actually care. That is their right, as owners of the logo, but it could be problematic if they were ever in a position to defend that ownership it in court.

This is why corporate owners of marks defend them rabidly -- if they ever DIDN'T defend them, they might lose them. This is probably why Hormel asked S.P.A.M. to insert the stupid periods in its name. They (probably) didn't care that a small group of high school students called themselves "Spam," but they couldn't officially say yes without abandoning some rights to their mark. Likewise, when the Navy gave 1294 permission to use the Top Gun mark, they asked us to make a change to it so that it wasn't exactly the same as theirs. If you look closely, the team number is added near the nose of the jet -- changing the mark and relieving the Navy of the responsibility of protecting it. (This was an amazingly nice thing of the Navy to do. Good on them.)

[artdutra04]

Originally Posted by Rick TYler

Team 1923's logo refers to the FIRST logo, it is clearly not an infringement on the mark. I hate to sound rude, but the FIRSTWiki globe, is specifically in violation of the mark owner's guidelines on usage. I wonder if anyone at FIRST has noticed and/or cares?

Would the rules that govern the use of the current FIRST logo also apply to the older FIRST logo?

[Steve S.]

Originally Posted by Rick TYler

Team 1923's logo refers to the FIRST logo, it is clearly not an infringement on the mark. I hate to sound rude, but the FIRSTWiki globe, is specifically in violation of the mark owner's guidelines on usage. I wonder if anyone at FIRST has noticed and/or cares?

Actually because it is the old first logo, they are free to use it any way they want. There is nothing guarding the old logo.

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by team1591

Actually because it is the old first logo, they are free to use it any way they want. There is nothing guarding the old logo.

It is still a federally registered trademark. FIRST has not abandoned the mark.

By the way, what is this "new logo" that y'all keep talking about? The FIRST Website still has the geometric symbols-with-the-word on the top left corner of the site. Are you referring to the FRC, FVC, and FLL logos?

[Mark McLeod]

FIRST last changed their logo (the new logo) at the beginning of the 2005 competition season and gradually updated their usage of it on all their released materials over the course of the season.
http://www.usfirst.org/about/news/newlogo2004.htm

[Rick TYler]

Originally Posted by Mark McLeod

FIRST last changed their logo (the new logo) at the beginning of the 2005 competition season and gradually updated their usage of it on all their released materials over the course of the season.
http://www.usfirst.org/about/news/newlogo2004.htm

Since 2005 was my rookie season, I've known no other logo. Thanks for the clarification.