Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Texas
Is it illegal to use Sports logos and Team names if i start a sports website? I am not manufacturing anything, just a simple fan website.
1 Answer from Attorneys
This can be done as fair use if done for the news aspects and not to imply any association with or sponsorship by the league or teams. If you are just doing it to identify the teams as the teams, and not using their names or logos as a selling point, this should not pose any problems. Teams make lots of money merchandising, and their leagues even more, and they watch like hawks for knock-offs and counterfeits and pounce if they find them. If in doubt, check with a trademark attorney or sports lawyer or just call the league and ask. The problem area for you is likely to be promotional materials, if any, for your website if the promotional materials have any team logos on them, whether or not you charge for them.
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