If you need some corporate logos in eps line art, this is a great place to look.
People freely share the artwork and there is a great selection.
http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/

lj
I'm logojohn and I approve this message

Well... not entirely. It's a site, hosted in Russia, where stolen logos are put up in violation of copyright to be freely distributed to those with the best and worst intentions indiscriminately.

And just another example of why free distribution is a beautiful thing. We've been taught since Kindergarten to share. Why, when the internet makes that so easy do we criminalize it? But that's a tangent we won't get in to.

Brands of the World is illegal. But it is also invaluable because so many legitimate representatives of companies, organizations, and cooperations are completely incompetent when it comes to the difference between a vector file and a low res .jpg. So why fight them for hours trying to explain 1) what you need or 2) why they have to pay art time when you can just steal their logo and make them happy?

Sei

If you have the right to use the logo for that company, getting it from somewhere else is not a copyright infringement of the logo. But the payment to the artist if it is not fully owned by the company, (which is the usual), would be a different story.

Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)

Harvey's Sub Page When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

"The site clearly states that you have to use it only for the person that owns it." Yeah and Saddam has WMD's - I know this because I read it somewhere.

"If so, outlaw cars because some people speed!" If you get in my car and speed away without my permission, it is not legal just because it was parked on a public lot.

The site is a Russian site and would be shut down if based in the USA. That said, it is useful and certainly has its place in the overall scheme of things.

Just don't confuse convenient with legal.

Logo John,

As a Monitor on this board, your information is surely welcomed . It is up to the individual whether or not to use the Russian site. Not all sites in Russia are illegal.

Personally we have used the Russian site probably a thousand times for Corporate logo's. it's amazing how many large Company's don't know who has the responsibility to get logo's out to the various offices throughout the country.

Dave

You are right about the large companies. Over half we deal with have nothing more than a letterhead or web jpg.

Here is my favorite story.
Not mentioning any names, there are 2 major drawing program software providers.
One of them actually paid us last year to recreate their own well know logo since they only had a paper printout of it!

lj

Beautiful

Dave

Just to clarify, as you point out, not all sites in Russia are automatically illegal. I did not mean to imply that. I simply mentioned the fact because, as Pete of AwardMasters stated, the site would be shut down if it were based in the United States.

Thank you, Pete, for the points you made. You saved me the trouble, and probably put it better than I would have.

One other thing to mention is that just because someone you're working with at a cooperation is happy that you found their logo doesn't mean the corporation's legal team will share the feeling.

I've delt with companies who think a poorly printed business card is all you need to reproduce their image, but I've dealt with many others who are totally together with their graphic identity who give me brochures on proper usage and have password protected websites to access their logo files. These people I don't think would be very happy if they found out I could bypass it all and get their logo permission or no.

Sei

Sei,

It should go without saying that everyone should use the artwork the company supplies, IF it meets our requirements. However that is only 50% of the time. Even though our requirements are posted on our webpage, you cannot believe the # of artwork files that are sent to us at 72 dpi, in full color or grayscale and about 3/4" square. If I get one of them, the first place we go to is Brands of the World, even before contacting the customer about getting a better file. Time is money.

Just one persons opinion

Dave

Pete,

Understand where you are coming from, but taking this to the extreme, you can be sued by the owners of the logo's that are on the etched awards on your web page, unless of course, you have gotten written permission to use them from each and every one.

I'm not for anyone ripping off the company's who own the rights of the logo, in fact I have reported non-licensed University logo users in the past. But if the Company is ordering the awards, I'll get the logo from anywhere if the Company is having trouble supplying what we need and they are extremely happen when I do.

Dave.

Dave,
I use the site also, but to quote from my previous post:

"Just don't confuse convenient with legal."

Got ya.

Dave

[applauds] All that needed to be said. I was halfway through a reply when I reloaded the thread to reference something, and there was your post.

I too use BrandsoftheWorld. Three times today, in fact. Our shop would be lost without it.

Sometimes you have to do what you have to do, even if it means bypassing a few international laws.

Sei

Maybe the best of both worlds is to tell the customer about the site and have them download the 'one that they want' and supply it to you.

Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)

Harvey's Sub Page When you finally understand it completely... it changes.

I have not done anything with corporate logos, so , can someone explain what kind of permission you need to be able to use the logo for the customer? Say I have a car salesmen for a local dealership, they want the "dodge" logo on something with their business name....what do I need from them? Can a salesperson give permission, do I need something in writing????

Just encase I need to know!! :) THANKS

If you're worried you could always put together some sort of a form, "I hereby certify that Awards Company has my expressed permission to use the [Client Company] logo in conjuction to my current order" and get them to sign it. That way if it turns out the usage was unauthorized, it's on them, not you.

Sei

In theory, you need to get signed permission from the corporate legal department to be perfectly safe.

The way I handle it is if the owner of a Burger King needs something made for the store, I consider it tacit approval by the company to produce the product.

If it was a person off the street, then a totally different ballgame.

Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)

Harvey's Sub Page When you finally understand it completely... it changes.