Legal Question in Intellectual Property in New Jersey
Family Crest
Can a family crest be copyrighted or
trademarked?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Family Crest
A family crest can be copyrighted by its author. Most genuine crests are too old to have living authors and few originate in the United States.
Trademarks are connected with classes of goods or services. Under certain circumstances, a crest that was used in connection with the sale of good or service could be trademarked in that context.
See also: http://info.corbettlaw.net/lawguru.htm
Re: Family Crest
A family crest can be copyrighted by its author. Most genuine crests are too old to have living authors and few originate in the United States.
Trademarks are connected with classes of goods or services. Under certain circumstances, a crest that was used in connection with the sale of good or service could be trademarked in that context.
See also: http://info.corbettlaw.net/lawguru.htm