Legal Question in Business Law in Maryland

Re: sale of a company logo

Coke's logo is a registered trademark and is protected from commercial use. So, if you are intending to sell a product using the Coke Logo my guess is that you can expect to hear from Coke's attorneys as soon as they find out it.

Lawrence R. Holzman, Esquire

Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A.

6404 Ivy Lane, Suite 400

Greenbelt, MD 20770

(301) 220-2200

fax (301) 220-1214

Disclaimer: Please note that the posting of this response is not intended to constitute legal advice. You should contact an attorney to obtain information applicable to your situation. This posting is not confidential or privileged and does not create an attorney/client relationship.

Coca-Cola and Resale of its Company Logo

Coke has registered their logo as a trademark. Moreover, Coca Cola

has utility patents on its bottling process, trademarks on the style of the

bottle and script within its logo, various advertising has been copyrighted, and

protection for almost every instance of intellectual property that can be protected.

Using Coke's patented, trademarked, or copyrighted property without permission is subject

to sanction including injunction, civil suit for damages (improper/unauthorized use and a number of

other bases), as well as bad press. You may want to re-consider this course of action.

It is highly recommended that an attorney review any advertising, marketing, or commercial use

of anything that bears a resemblance to protected intellectual property.'

DISCLAIMER: This correspondence does not constitute legal advice but rather it is information about the

law. When facing a legal issue, it is best to acquire the service of an attorney. No attorney-client relationship is founded

herein and no reliance should be made by the recipient in this regard.

Re: sale of a company logo

No. You run the risk of infringing on Coca-Cola's trademark. Since the logo is recognized worldwide, you might raise confusion amongst consumers leading them to believe that the refrigerator is a Coca-Cola product. Your action may be seen as appropriation of Coca-Cola's image especially since you plan to sell the refrigerator.