Re: T-shirt resale

On 02/10/99, Tyler Ochoa <tochoa[_at_]law.whittier.edu> wrote:
>
> I agree there is a potential distinction to be drawn between the sale
> of a new product and the resale of an existing product. But I am
> afraid that the discussion is NOT merely academic, and that you may,
> in fact, need permission to write on your own clothes [at least if
> you then try to re-sell them.]

I lived in the LA area for several years and noticed (I have not noticed this elsewhere to the same degree) that many of the Toyota pick-up trucks there have one or many of the letters removed from the back of the truck so that while driving behind one you read, "TOYOT," "TOY," "YO," etc. (Some have new letters added too, I've seen "YOYO".) Is this a derivative work? Presumably a substantial fraction of these trucks get resold and such a change in the vehicle is not "normal wear and tear." By all the discussion that has happened on this T-shirt reslae question, clearly this is illegal. Should the cops be pulling these people over for copyright violation? ("Copyright police" Hmm, I think certain large corporations would love to have such a force out there). Is it okay since the vehicle is still identifiable as a Toyota by many other marks or perhaps Toyota doesn't feel it is worth the effort?

       -angela

Angela Putney, Ph.D.
Physics Management Fellow
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740

Phone: 301-209-3135
Fax: 301-209-3133
E-mail: aputney[_at_]aip.org Received on Thu Feb 11 1999 - 13:35:54 GMT