Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Texas
Use of a picture on a label
Can I use a picture I took of a part of an existing product (the shiny part of the dashboard of a car, no logos on picture) on a consumer product label? These are cleanning wipes for car dashboard, vinyl and leather surfaces.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Re: Use of a picture on a label
The short answer is yes,--if the product can't be identified in any way as belonging to a particular car, you're not in danger of violating anyone's rights.
However, hood ornaments and that sort of thing DO identify the car, so make sure that absolutely nothing of the car brand is revealed, you don't make any claims that could imply that your product works best on any type of car or that it is endorsed by any particular car company, and you have little or nothing to worry about from an infringement, trade dress, trademark point of view.