A recent court decision awarded the Assemblies of God/Gospel Publishing.com 6.1 million dollars for trademark infringement for illegally using the Royal Rangers logo to sell badges, t-shirts and backpacks. A couple in California were found guilty of using the logo and the Royal Ranger name to sell products with the name and the logo that were not authorized by the Assemblies of God. They were also found guilty of using the Royal Ranger name in domain sites used to sell the products. The court ruled that the Royal Ranger name and logo are considered intellectual property of the Assemblies of God and can not be used without permission.
This brings to the fore front all of those churches out there that use the Royal Ranger program without chartering, which gives that church the right to use the logo. It also might concern the churches, districts and groups that use the logo and name to sell t-shirts, hats, backpacks and other items that are not chartered. Any way you slice it, it is illegal to use the name or logo without permission. This court decision could open the door to more suites like this one.
Churches have often felt safe when taking liberties with logos, music, Vacation Bible School Curriculum, Sunday School Materials, etc. What difference does in make if we use the lyrics of a popular song in our advertising or promotional materials? No one will ever find out anyway. Maybe, maybe not. In this day and age of electronic tracking, you might want to re-think your approach. Using an illegal copy of software on the church computers or powerpoint slides of lyrics for praise and worship on Sunday mornings. Either way it is illegal. Think about it.
No comments:
Post a Comment