pic: Team 604 -- 2010 Teaser #3

[Tom Line]

You are using a trademark of the Hasbro company. Using a trademarked logo is far more complicated than using the name of something, like "Transformers", and is subject to far more strict "Fair Use" policies.

Fair use for copyrighted materials is there so people can use it to cite items in a research paper or to mention them in a novel to make it more reaslistic. For instance, to say someone is driving a Ford, or eating a Hersey bar.

You would have a very very hard time demonstrating in a court that you aren't contributing to trademark dilution by putting those on a robot. You'd have a very hard time convincing a court that putting those ON your robot had some educational purpose. (There are any number of other shapes you could have machined to teach the same thing).

I wouldn't have said a word about it except for the people who immediately claimed "fair use". This is not an application for fair use. There is no valid reason to have those logos on your robot. You are neither sponsored by Hasbro nor do you have their endorsement. It makes absolutely no difference that your team is affiliated with a high school. You still don't get to use a trademark without having a very valid purpose.

That said - those are absolutely incredible looking. I hope you don't take them off your robot, because I frankly don't think anyone is going to raise a stink about it. I wouldn't have even the first clue how to machine them, and the polish is beautiful. Nice job!