Hey There!
so i have a client that pretty much wants the bitcoin symbol as a logo.
i had a google and a few places say The Bitcoin logo/symbol itself is free to use for both commercial and non-commercial use.
i feel like its infringing on copyright laws regardless…
what do you guys think? im new to all this and having another opinion would help a lot.
Thank you in advance
It sounds like it’s the same as using a dollar sign in a logo. Not against any laws, but not necessarily a great design idea. If that’s what your client wants, I would do it.
Some currencies like the Rupee are copyright by their government but the Bitcoin symbol is not. It’s status in the UK is unclear but it was registered as a Trademark, and this registration has since been abandoned.
If a small brand uses the logo of a big brand this creates a huge dependency.
If the reputation of the big brand tanks - the reputation of the small brand moves the same direction.
Your brand investment may be reduced by someone else.
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That^
Many designers don’t consider it so, but IMO, it’s your job to convince your client this is the terrible idea that it truly is.
Does your client want to use the Bitcoin logo as is, or does he want to incorporate it as part of his logo?
If it’s the former, I’d likely walk away from the job since it sounds like he’s trying to pass off his company as something it’s not. Or is it the latter, and he only wants to associate his company with Bitcoin because it’s built around Bitcoin in some way? In that case, I suspect there’s no legal prohibition against it, but I’m no attorney.
The Bitcoin logo was relinquished to the public domain from everything I dug up through Google searches. Unlike some of the articles claiming it’s free to use through a Creative Commons license, the logo is in the public domain. There are no licenses because no one owns the logo to confer the licenses. Instead, the logo was deeded to the public through the Creative Commons CC0. 1.0 universal Public Domain Dedication.
Using it as someone’s logo would be the same as using a piece of 19th-Century clip art — anyone can use it for any purpose; neither copyright nor trademark exists.
I’d be interested in knowing this person’s rationale, but it sounds like a bad idea.
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Take Just-B’s advice. In addition, a website I have used for years and have found reliable is Brands of the World (dot com). You will need to set up an account but there are no monthly fees to use the service.
Here is a link to help you get started.
https://www.brandsoftheworld.com/search/logo?search_api_views_fulltext=bitcoin%20logo
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