How to Upload an Organizations Logo to Wikipedia

April 14, 2022 Post a Comment

Guidance on logo usage in Wikimedia projects

This page in a nutshell: When using images of logos, care must exist taken about copyright, trademark and editorial concerns.

Many images of logos are used on Wikipedia and long continuing consensus is that it is acceptable for Wikipedia to apply logos belonging to others for encyclopedic purposes. There are iii main concerns with logo use. First, they are commonly non-complimentary images, and and so their use must adjust to the guidelines for not-free content and, specifically, the non-free content criteria. Second, logos are often registered trademarks and so their utilize is restricted independently of copyright concerns. Third, there are editorial issues virtually adhering to a neutral betoken of view and selecting an advisable logo and representation.

The encyclopedic rationale for including a logo is similar to the rationale for including portraits of a famous histrion: nigh users feel that portraits provide valuable information about the person that is difficult to describe solely with text. Logos should be regarded equally portraits for a given entity. Unlike people, still, where it is often possible to take a free photo of that person, logos are typically protected by copyright and trademark law and and so cannot be replaced by a completely free culling.

Copyright concerns [edit]

Uploading non-gratis logos [edit]

This section offers communication on applying the non-free content criteria to logos. It does not supercede the policy, which is fully applicable to logos.

Visitor logos may appear in articles on those companies, but notation that, if challenged, it is the responsibility of those who wish to include the logo to prove that its use meets Wikipedia non-free content criteria. Logos uploaded to Wikipedia must be low-resolution and no larger than necessary. The logo should receive a detailed fair apply rationale — the template {{Non-free use rationale logo}} tin can help generate a detailed rationale that covers all necessary information. Too every bit a fair use rationale, the URL where the logo was plant is useful to help verify the licensing information, copyright holder and actuality of the logo. An prototype copyright tag must exist added to all images uploaded — for most logos, {{non-gratis logo}} (shown beneath) is appropriate. Note that it is not necessary to seek formal permission from the owner in advance of using its logo, then long as the usage is off-white use, does not create any impression that the logo is associated with Wikipedia or endorses either Wikipedia or the commodity in which the logo appears, and does not create any reasonable grounds for complaint by the possessor.

This is a logo of an system, item, or result, and is protected past copyright and mayhap trademark. It is believed that the utilise of low-resolution images on the English-language Wikipedia, hosted on servers in the Us by the non-profit Wikimedia Foundation, of logos for certain uses involving identification and disquisitional commentary may authorize as fair use nether United States copyright law. Whatsoever other uses of this image, on Wikipedia or elsewhere, may be copyright infringement. Certain commercial use of this epitome may too be trademark infringement. See Wikipedia:Non-gratis content and Wikipedia:Logos.

To the uploader:

This tag is non sufficient on its own. You must likewise include the source of the work, all available copyright information, and a detailed non-complimentary employ rationale.
Use of the logo here does non imply endorsement of the organisation by Wikipedia or the Wikimedia Foundation, nor vice versa.
Please exercise not utilise this template to tag non-costless icons of computer software. Such items should be tagged with {{Not-free estimator icon}} template.

Copyright-free logos [edit]

WP:TEXTLOGO

This Coca-Cola logo was offset published in the tardily 19th century and contains only characters from the Spencerian Script; therefore, it is non under copyright. However, information technology is still protected as a trademark.

Simple combinations of the iii rules are permitted provided the components are not used to form a larger paradigm

Although almost logos are not-free images and should be treated equally such, at that place are three common cases where a logo volition be copyright-complimentary:

The outset example is based on the date of first publication: if the logo was beginning published earlier 1927, it tin be assumed to be public domain.
The second case is a logo that is simply a sequence of messages or written words: Characters from a typeface are uncopyrightable in the U.Southward., so logos that consist purely of characters from a typeface are too uncopyrightable. You may apply {{PD-textlogo}} (shown below) on these logos.
Lastly, a logo is not eligible for copyright if information technology consists entirely of simple geometric shapes, or a simple combination of shapes and text. {{PD-textlogo}} also applies to these, provided the image remains fairly simple overall. See, for instance File:Best Western logo.svg.

Note, a logo can still be protected by trademark law, fifty-fifty if it is not subject field to copyright.

Trademark concerns [edit]

U.South. law protects the correct of non-owners to employ trademarks for purposes of criticism and commentary. First Amendment considerations override any limits on these expressive, noncommercial utilize of trademarks. "The Constitution is non offended when the [Maine] antidilution statute is applied to prevent a defendant from using a trademark without permission in society to trade dissimilar products or services. ... The Constitution does non, however, let the range of the antidilution statute to embrace the unauthorized use of a trademark in a noncommercial setting such equally an editorial or artistic context." (emphasis added) Fifty.L. Bean, Inc. v. Drake Pubs., Inc., 811 F.2d 26, 31, 33 (1st Cir. 1987.)

Similarly, the Federal Trademark Dilution Act of 1995 does non utilize to the "noncommercial utilise" of a famous mark. fifteen U.s.a.C. 1125(c)(4)(B). The U.S. Supreme Courtroom has defined "commercial spoken communication" as "speech which ... advise[s] a commercial transaction." Virginia Country Pharmacy Board five. Virginia Citizens Consumer Council 425 U.S. 748, 762 (1976.)

The simply limit on this correct is whether someone might think that the commentary was produced past the trademark owner. "[A]n writer certainly would accept a Showtime Amendment right to write nigh the subject of the Male child Scouts and/or Girl Scouts. However, this right is diluted by trademark police force insofar as that author cannot present her discipline in a manner that confuses or misleads the public into believing, through the use of one or more trademarks, that those organizations have produced or sponsored the piece of work in question." (emphasis added) Daughter Scouts of the Us v. Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc., 808 F. Supp. 1112 at 1121, north. 12 (S.D.Due north.Y. 1992.)

When uploading material which is subject to trademark protection, simply for which the {{non-gratis logo}} template does not apply, please utilize the {{trademark}} template:

This work contains material which may be subject to trademark laws in one or more jurisdictions. Before using this content, please ensure that information technology is used to identify the entity or organization that owns the trademark and that you have the right to utilize it nether the laws which apply in the circumstances of your intended apply. Y'all are solely responsible for ensuring that you do not borrow someone else's trademark.
These restrictions are independent of the copyright status. Run into also the Wikipedia trademark disclaimer and Wikipedia:Logos.

Annotation that whatsoever appropriate paradigm copyright tags must still be used in addition to the trademark template. It is recommended to identify the trademark owner in the paradigm description.

Editorial concerns [edit]

Advertisements [edit]

Avoid using a logo in any way that creates an impression that the purpose of its inclusion is to promote something. Generally, logos should exist used but when the logo is reasonably familiar or when the logo itself is of involvement for blueprint or creative reasons.

Negative logos [edit]

Logos should not exist used in contexts which are, taken every bit a whole, strongly negative. It is generally acceptable to apply a logo in an article about what the logo represents (such as a visitor or organization), or in an article discussing the logo itself, its history and evolution, or the visual style of the logo's creator. Defaced logos or logo parodies should exist used with care and not given undue prominence. For instance, parodies of logos may be carefully used under fair use in an article nearly a parody site or campaign, but should only be used in manufactures on the original if the parody is discussed extensively.

Logo choice [edit]

Reasonable diligence should be taken to ensure that the logo is accurate and has a high-quality appearance. This does not mean that unnecessarily high resolution images should be used, simply information technology does hateful that resized logos should not be used if their advent differs significantly from the original. Ordinarily, the current logo should be the logo presented. When a historical logo is used, the caption should indicate this, and there should be a expert reason for the use of the historical logo (whether the current logo is used or not) explained in the historical logo'due south fair use rationale. Logos that comprise slogans should be omitted in favour of equivalent logos that do not. The slogans tin can be described in the article'southward prose, or the commodity'southward prose and infobox (not in the infobox alone).

Logo size [edit]

In order to ensure that logos are appropriately displayed with an acceptable level of detail, practise not utilize a logo with smaller than 100-pixel resolution unless in that location is non a larger version.

Placement [edit]

A logo may appear in the infobox of the main article on the subject the logo represents. For example, the main company logo may appear in the main article most the company, the main schoolhouse logo in the chief commodity about the schoolhouse, and the main sports squad logo in the primary article near the sports squad, but a school logo and a schoolhouse sports team logo may non both announced in the aforementioned article (although they may appear in separate manufactures). Exterior of these limits, neither non-free nor trademarked logos (see discussion) should exist used inside an article. Non-free logos are also non immune to be placed in drafts, user sandboxes, or any other page that isn't in the article namespace.

Accessibility [edit]

Visually impaired users, like most users, may want to know what a logo looks like. If it is in an infobox, the logo is inaccessible to visually-impaired users and, in that instance, a prose description is advisable. Considering an alt text would non piece of work in an infobox, add the prose clarification to the torso of the article. Since the logo is a primary source and logos are rarely described in secondary sources, in a Wikipedia article a logo may be described directly from the logo, factually only preferably with prudently understated wording, to avoid its reading like advertising.

Specific cases [edit]

U.S. government agencies [edit]

U.S. police force may prohibit the reproduction of designated logos of U.Southward. regime agencies without permission. Apply-restrictions of such logos must be followed and permission obtained before use, if required. Withal, this does not touch on the copyright condition, considering as works of the federal authorities, they are automatically in the public domain. These should exist tagged with {{insignia}}.

Reference works [edit]

Special care should exist taken when using the logo of an encyclopedia or other reference work in a Wikipedia article. While the standard for fair employ remains the aforementioned as for other logos, non taking such care is more probable to introduce trademark problems.

Ring logos [edit]

WP:BANDLOGO

Logos for musical bands are generally not as integral to a band's image as corporate logos are for companies. For this reason, current consensus is that not-gratuitous ring logos are generally non appropriate in an article about a band unless the logo itself is discussed in the prose. A logo may be placed inline with text discussing it if its inclusion meets the non-free content criteria. Freely-licensed logos may exist used, providing their inclusion enhances the article.

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