FIRST LED signs for purchase!

[Libby K]

Originally Posted by Akash Rastogi

Is the use of the FIRST logo or name for profit legal?

Not unless the OP has asked FIRST already (and as a summer intern for marketing, I can pretty safely say that he has not.)

http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/...logo+standards

"FIRST graphics may not be incorporated into any item for commercial sale without written approval from FIRST Marketing. Please e-mail requests to marketing@usfirst.org and allow at least 2 business days for response."

That page also has the FIRST branding and design standards listed. matt99199, if you could adhere to those with your signs (after you contact FIRST, of course), that would be lovely...not to mention legal.

[J@GMFlint]

By just staying with team numbers or names & team logos you can streamline your mfg. and then easily avoid the whole "FIRST" issue, while still providing something cool for the pits.

Something light-weight that can fit safely on the typical pit sign ploes, or hang from curtains would be ideal.

What kind of power supply(s) do you have? Can the signs be battery operated easily? What kind of fonts are available? I think someone already asked, do you have any examples? Sorry we missed checking your sign out at MARC!!

Sounds like a cool idea, keep up your enthusiasm!

[Tristan Lall]

Originally Posted by Libby K

Not unless the OP has asked FIRST already (and as a summer intern for marketing, I can pretty safely say that he has not.)

http://usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/...logo+standards

"FIRST graphics may not be incorporated into any item for commercial sale without written approval from FIRST Marketing. Please e-mail requests to marketing@usfirst.org and allow at least 2 business days for response."

That page also has the FIRST branding and design standards listed. matt99199, if you could adhere to those with your signs (after you contact FIRST, of course), that would be lovely...not to mention legal.

Being nice to FIRST is absolutely a best practice—but it's important to distinguish what's a request on their part, and what's a legal requirement. Those documents linked above (including the logo standards manual) are, at least in part, wishlists.

For example, not italicizing the name "FIRST" has no implications under copyright law, and minimal ones under trademark law. It could conceivably make FIRST (and therefore Libby) angry, but what are the odds of that? (If you're bound by a particular contract with FIRST, you may be subject to additional requirements.)

More pertinently, when they say "FIRST graphics may not be incorporated into any item for commercial sale without without written approval from FIRST Marketing", despite the implication, that's not necessarily the only way to legally use FIRST's copyrighted artwork and registered marks. That's just their preferred channel for making a request for permission. (Permission from someone like a corporate officer would probably be sufficient under the law, and copyright fair use requires no permission at all.)

Despite all the legal technicalities, the easiest thing to do would still be to ask FIRST for permission: once they're satisfied, you're in the clear.

[ebarker]

Not wanting to rain on anyone's entrepreneurial parade... But I'd prefer to buy a 27" LED monitor, $ 340 at Best Buy. Nice, bright, versatile. You can use it for presentations, signage, etc, and change the content on the fly. Admittedly it will require a PC to drive it but it isn't too hard to find a hand me down laptop that makes a good sign driver.

[matt99199]

too bad it's not as impresive as a handmade sign

[Libby K]

Originally Posted by Tristan Lall

It could conceivably make FIRST (and therefore Libby) angry,

I would certainly not be angry. I was just making a friendly reminder, that's all.

Originally Posted by Tristan Lall

Despite all the legal technicalities, the easiest thing to do would still be to ask FIRST for permission: once they're satisfied, you're in the clear.

^exactly.

[DonRotolo]

Originally Posted by matt99199

as for the resistor stuff, it works fine and would cost way too much with that many of them. i have had these signs running for half a year continuous and nothing went wrong or shorted out. it might be beacuse of the choice of transformer i used. so unless something cateoustrophic happens, i'm not worried about the current flow.

You're missing the point.

Alan explained very clearly that you are not following accepted engineering practice. Logic dictates that you at least attempt to understand the correct method.

In other words: You've been lucky so far, but it's still the wrong way to do it.

Resistors are inexpensive
You've been lucky
It is not because of the transformer you used. You've been lucky.
You should be worried about current flow.

In today's litigious society even a high school kid can be on the losing end of a serious lawsuit. Just imagine your sign suffers a failure, and the resulting fire kills someone. A reasonable defense may be that you followed accepted engineering practice - but not doing so will really get you in hot water, particularly because it's a commercial product for sale.

Not trying to rain on your parade. Consider this a part of your learning process. No charge.