Someone Stole My Logo

Unfortunately copyright infringement and logo theft happens more often than you think. People just assume that it's on the internet and it's free game. The bottom line is, it's your responsibility as a business to protect your new logo and your brand. If your logo is stolen, 3plains does not give legal advice, but we do recommend a trusted attorney. We can share what customers have done in the past and give a few recommendations.

1. Your Logo

First and foremost, do your homework on where your logo artwork came from and what company/designer built your logo. Are you 100% sure your logo designer didn't steal the artwork? Be certain before you reach out to the offender. It will save you time and embarrassment if you find out your logo is actually the infringement.

2. Reach Out to the Offender

Sometimes all it takes it a quick phone call, email, Facebook Messenger or Instagram message. Many people have no idea their logo was stolen and are pretty embarrassed when it is brought to their attention. Nine times out of ten this will happen from what we have found and the other  10% will fight you and get really defensive. So just be aware if you contact the offender.

3. Send out a DMCA Notice

DMCA stands for Digital Millennium Copyright Act and a DMCA notice informs a company that they are using or linking to material that infringes on a copyright. Here is a great article on how to send out a DMCA Notice.

4. Reach out to a trusted Lawyer

If all else fails, reach out to a copyright lawyer and they can help you with the next steps. We would recommend finding a good lawyer locally or a trademark/digital attorney who specializes in online specifically.

5. Trademark/Copyright Your Logo

Copyrights and trademarks are used to protect your intellectual property against infringement. Copyrights protect works of authorship, such as written work, film, audio, digital files and logos. These usually apply to works you’ve created. Trademarks are used for words, phrases, and symbols that identify a company and distinguish it from others. Because our custom logos include original, and often times commissioned, artwork you may want both a copyright and trademark to protect it and your brand from unauthorized use.

You may want to go through the copyright and trademark process found here: https://www.3plains.com/blog/copyright-trademark-your-logo/ - again, we recommend that you talk to a lawyer about it. Keep in mind, if you want to do this, you will need to have 3plains transfer the design copyright to you since the designer by default owns the copyright. So if you go to register a copyright, they will need a "Copyright Transfer form". Not to worry, we have that ready for you when you need it. Please ask us for this and we will give you a PDF copy.

Last Updated: 2024-03-16