SlowJoe

SlowJoe

Member
Does anybody know if it's legal or ethical to copy a paint scheme from a corporate sponsored plane (e.g. the famous Red Bull plane). I wouldn't be doing any commercial appearances. More like painting my Chevy like Dale Earnhardt's.
 
Just make some changes to make it your own. Think of it as a theme instead of an exact design.

:)
 
I was wondering

about all the RVs that are painted in military schemes.

Obviously, there are lots of them, and I've never heard about any problems with it, but I would think the air force or other branches might be a little concerned about planes flying around with paint schemes that would identify them as theirs.

Anyone know the full scoop on this?
 
Very little in the U.S. federal government is copyrighted. The NASA meatball (I think) and the NPS arrowhead are among the rare exceptions. Thus, you can copy nearly anything from the federal government.

On airplane design (corporate or private) I would think the usual copyright laws would apply and you need to make some changes to avoid potential copyright violation. That said, I'm certainly not a intellectual properties attorney so I'm only projecting my limited knowledge.
 
I sent a thank you e-mail to the guys I "borrowed" my paint scheme from. It was a blend of a couple different planes. Most replied they had "borrowed" it from someone else. If you see something you like just let them know you like and and may use it. Imitation is a sincere form of flattery.
 
you may be suprised

I would suggest you contact the company (usually either marketing, PR, or corporate branding). You may be surprised. Some companies have policies that promote this type of activity. Some even pay you for it.

The logo police are always watching and I have been contacted several times. (occupational hazard as a designer) Many companies have logo usage guidelines and may even send you a packet outlining them. Many times you can get the digital files you need to do what you are asking for. Sometimes the packets include how the logos and paint are to be applied to specific vehicles including either Pantone colors or paint codes.

But keep in mind you are now an ambassador for that company and how you fly and act will reflect on that company.
 
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Veetail88 said:
about all the RVs that are painted in military schemes.

Obviously, there are lots of them, and I've never heard about any problems with it, but I would think the air force or other branches might be a little concerned about planes flying around with paint schemes that would identify them as theirs.

Anyone know the full scoop on this?
Click to expand...

We have a neighbor with a SeaRay amphib that is painted to look like a US Coast Guard plane - complete with red diagonal stripes, logos, and "USCG" underneath the wings. This disturbs me just a little, since we live on the gulf coast, there are thousands of boaters out there, and he flies over them regularly. Sort of like cruising around with a car painted in police or fire department colors, WITH LOGOS!!

I asked a friend who is USCG if he knew if this was a problem, and it disturbed him as well, but he didn't know of any regulations that prohibited it. Don't get me wrong - it's a very cool looking airplane, still...do you want folks cruising around with Law Enforcement or Rescue colors who really "aren't?

As to military - not many folks will mistake an RV-8 for an F-14, even if it does have a great matching paint scheme....sorry Smokey....;)
 
I know the paint schemes my company puts on our commercial experimental planes are branded. We have recently (last 10 years) spent lots of money branding/copyrighting our logos and paint. We have even named our jets now as a brand name (not just model number) similar to how EAA now tries to use Air Venture and not Oshkosh. I can not even use the company logos for official buisness with out ensuring it meets colors, spacing, font, and position requirements.
I would imagine our lawyers would go after anyone that copied our company paint scheme (even if they were a company employee). Of coarse our execs and lawyers do not visit air shows unless they are in Paris or Farnbough nor do they know what gereral aviation or homebuilt aircraft are (maybe off a little on this blanket statement but not by much)

For my paint scheme I took elements I liked from several other RVs and made one similar but unique.
 
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Look closely at the Red Bull airplane for a "circled R" or a "TM". The circled R means it is a registered trademark. They have to put it there in order to defend it as theirs. The TM is a non registered trademark and gives them protection as well. Basically TM is used prior to formally registering. If either is there, don't copy it with out permission.
 
I just looked at photos on the internet and did not see the registration marks. Red Bull is making a big mistake if they are not there. Their products have it so you still can not copy their logo. The fact that they use it themselves without the marks only means they risk loosing some protection if some one wants to make a big legal battle.
 
I'd just contact them with your idea and see what they say. They might enjoy the free advertising. Am I mistaken that if you start putting commercial logos on your plane, that you should probably have a FAA commercial license too?
 
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