Re: using web page icons as hot links

Carrie Russell wrote:
>
> A faculty member here at the University has created a web page
> where she has posted her course syallbus and other information for her
> students. On it, she has created links to sites of interest, like the
> Arizona Legislative Information Service.
>
> For that particular site, she has used their own logo or icon as
> the link. So, you click on the icon and get linked to their home page.
>
> A colleague has questioned whether this is a violation of copyright,
> using the Service's icon on an individual's web page. Seems fine to me.
> What do others think?"

This sounds to me like the issue that the Shetland Times and the Shetland News have been fighting over ... except there the use was of one newspaper's headline as a live link by the other. Here it's the use of a logo ... arguably a trademark AND a copyright infringement. It's done all the time, and as long as there is no likelihood of consumer confusion as to affiliation, the risk seems low. But the best course of action, as always, is to get permission.

Bob Cumbow
<cumbr[_at_]perkinscoie.com> Received on Tue Feb 11 1997 - 03:18:46 GMT