Royal Mail Strange Copyright

Discussion in 'Legal Issues' started by Hecky, Aug 8, 2007.

  1. #1
    Hi,

    I was in the post office, and I saw a copyright notice on the Royal mail board, in small print. It seemed rather supprising. I checked it on the website now and it's there aswell

    How does Royal Mail manage to copyright the color red? Seems strange?

    -Hecky
     
    Hecky, Aug 8, 2007 IP
  2. Kommunicate

    Kommunicate Peon

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    #2
    IANAL. Not strange at all. Since Royal Mail is a PLC wholly owned by the UK government, it should have no problems getting copyright protection for it's service mark, the red Cruciform. It's the same as the copyright protection that Apple (the Beatles record company) has for it's service mark. You can't copyright a color - obviously, but you can copyright a symbol of a certain color.
     
    Kommunicate, Aug 8, 2007 IP
  3. AstarothSolutions

    AstarothSolutions Peon

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    #3
    It is a trademark not a copyright and they have a trademark on the specific pantone of red that they use. Trademarks are naturally limited to spheres of operation and so others can use the same pantone of red as long as it isnt in services offered by royal mail.

    Royal Mail are not the only ones to own trademarks on colours either... the below is a fairly recent european court judgement on the act of trademarking colours
    http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_roo...articles/Court Rules on Colour Trade Mark.htm

    Kommunicate - your contradict yourself there, a PLC by its very definition cannot be soley owned by the UK government (and there would be no point in doing so anyway) as its shares must be openly traded. If you read the OP's copy from the RM website you will even see that it is a Ltd not Plc
     
    AstarothSolutions, Aug 8, 2007 IP
  4. scriptreseller

    scriptreseller Active Member

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    #4
    royal mail is privert now and it when privert a few years ago poor royal mail thay get such a hard time hay will send a letter any where for 20P somefin and carnt rais the price with out up roar and have a millitent staff who still think the company is bank roled by the goverment and think stricking will let them get there way poor poor poor royal mail i love you still lol
     
    scriptreseller, Aug 10, 2007 IP
  5. Valley

    Valley Peon

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    #5
    Dynarod, the drain people in the UK have actually trademarked, copyrighted whatever a particular type of orange! ANy of their old vans have to be resprayed. Similar type of branding issue to RM
     
    Valley, Aug 10, 2007 IP
  6. magda

    magda Notable Member

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    #6
    *blinks* is this type of spelling deliberate? It seems to be the fashion, but I can never work out if people are struggling with an unfamiliar language, dyslexic, illiterate, or just being annoying.
     
    magda, Aug 10, 2007 IP
  7. scriptreseller

    scriptreseller Active Member

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    #7
    am dyslexic sorry well am not lol i carnt help it but i do understand how anoying it can be.
     
    scriptreseller, Aug 10, 2007 IP