Military Plaques

[Beeber]

I just attempted to purchase the Marine Corp pattern to do military plaques. I was informed that this pattern is no longer for sale to the public. Has anyone else heard of this new policy and why only the Marine Corps?

[Travis]

Don't know. The Marine Corps logo should be public domain. Maybe the designer that adapted the pattern withdrew it. Here's one for ya. You can also check out other designs in the Pattern Library under Military. Lots of cool stuff there too.

 

[TheWoodArtist]

The Marine Corp is having problems with groups and sites of untastefull nature using the marine logo and so being it is actually copyrighted they are starting to enforce it, I'm sure the others will follow soon. I read an article about it through one of the Marine publications I receive. Unfortuantly, I see this not stopping, soon everything will be enforced. It's the times we are in.

[Travis]

According to Wikipedia:

"This image or file is in the public domain because it contains materials that originally came from the United States Marine Corps. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain."

 

But according to this page, it is a Trademark and therefore protected:

http://www.marines.mil/unit/divpa/tmlo/Pages/faq.aspx

 

...Marine Corps insignia are considered to be trademarks and, as such, are not to be used by third parties without permission. While it is true that works (such as written works) created by Federal employees are generally not protected by copyright, and are in the public domain, this does not apply to trademarks...

 

But it is shortly followed by:

 

In the context of “fair use,” many Marines have used USMC insignia and slogans (such as the EGA, “The Few, The Proud,” etc.) on personal items such as tattoos, handmade items, the names of their boats, etc. As we do not consider these to be “trademark uses,” we don’t consider them as requiring a license, nor could or would we prohibit such uses if we wanted to.

 

So it sounds like you can't sell the logo without licensing it through the USMC

[TheWoodArtist]

I knew you would get it straight Travis, I wasn't sure what the publication was getting at, the only thing I got from it was what I previously said and that they were asking for everyone's help on pointing the sites and companies out that were using the logo for wrong purposes.

[Xray]

"The Eagle Globe and Anchor is the exclusive property of the United States Marine Corps. Permission to use it for commercial retail and advertising (free or paid) is required.

The use of Marine Corps trademarks for commercial purposes, including reproduction on merchandise, is expressly prohibited unless the producer completes a license agreement with the Marine Corps. Use is governed by the terms of the agreement. "

 

"Hobbyist License Agreement - No application required. Hobbyist License Agreements must be hand made (no manufacturers), less than $5k in company sales annually, direct sales only (no retail sales), products must be hand made or repurposed using licensed materials (Don't aid infringement), no hang tags required, no product liability insurance required, agreement is non-negotiable."

 

Hobbyists licenses to hand produce USMC items [that fall within their guidelines] are $25 yearly.

I tend to agree with this policy, which aims to stop the production of USMC panties, socks ect.

http://www.marines.mil/unit/divpa/tmlo/Pages/apply.aspx

 

From what I gather, if you make USMC items for non commercial/retail purposes, that is not regulated.

So technically, you could make something then keep it, or give it away ,,, But if you make a single $ on it, you must be licensed.

[Beeber]

Thanks for the info, guess I will try the Hobby License. Live in big retiree area.

[Old Dust]

Steve Good has some on his site.

 

John

 

Old Dust