ryujin470@fedia.io to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world · 14 days agoAre color schemes used in UIs of video games and computer software subject to trademark?message-squaremessage-square12fedilinkarrow-up11arrow-down10file-text
arrow-up11arrow-down1message-squareAre color schemes used in UIs of video games and computer software subject to trademark?ryujin470@fedia.io to Ask Lemmy@lemmy.world · 14 days agomessage-square12fedilinkfile-text
Colors can be trademarked in conjunction with certain services. Does this applies to UIs of computer programs as well?
minus-squarehendrik@palaver.p3x.delinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·edit-214 days agoSure. Why would a computer UI be an exception? Law applies to computer interfaces the same way as it does to other things. Trademarking colors is difficult though. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_trade_mark
minus-squareBlisterexe@lemmy.ziplinkfedilinkarrow-up0·14 days agoTldr: you can do it, but you have to argue real well that the color is distictive and associated exclusively with your brand. An example of a trademarked color is ups brown
minus-squareSpaceNoodle@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up0·14 days agoViolating copyright every time I take a shit
minus-squarehendrik@palaver.p3x.delinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·14 days agoJust don’t tell anyone, right? Mine is T-Mobile magenta.
minus-squareBlisterexe@lemmy.ziplinkfedilinkarrow-up0·14 days agoFun fact: you can use most trademarked colors for anything as long as it isnt in the same sector as the company that trademarked it. E.g, if a purse company trademarked a certain shade of pink, you could still sell computers that color.
minus-squareBougieBirdie@lemmy.blahaj.zonelinkfedilinkEnglisharrow-up0·14 days agoWould I then run afoul if I branched out and had computer accessories, like laptop bags?
minus-squareAstronauticaldb@lemmy.worldlinkfedilinkarrow-up0·14 days agoNot a lawyer, but hypothetically yes? I think it’s the same situation with Pantone colors being only legally viewable on Adobe software or whatever. (Will double check on the validity of that though)
minus-squareBlisterexe@lemmy.ziplinkfedilinkarrow-up0·14 days agothen the purse company would have to convince a court that the color of your laptop bag incites confusion as to wether or not they made it.
Sure. Why would a computer UI be an exception? Law applies to computer interfaces the same way as it does to other things.
Trademarking colors is difficult though.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colour_trade_mark
Tldr: you can do it, but you have to argue real well that the color is distictive and associated exclusively with your brand.
An example of a trademarked color is ups brown
Violating copyright every time I take a shit
Just don’t tell anyone, right? Mine is T-Mobile magenta.
Fun fact: you can use most trademarked colors for anything as long as it isnt in the same sector as the company that trademarked it.
E.g, if a purse company trademarked a certain shade of pink, you could still sell computers that color.
Would I then run afoul if I branched out and had computer accessories, like laptop bags?
Not a lawyer, but hypothetically yes? I think it’s the same situation with Pantone colors being only legally viewable on Adobe software or whatever. (Will double check on the validity of that though)
then the purse company would have to convince a court that the color of your laptop bag incites confusion as to wether or not they made it.
So I can’t ship my shit?