Homestead, PA asked in Copyright and Intellectual Property for Pennsylvania

Q: I create decals on Etsy. One decal I created is a combing of all the Pittsburgh teams in one. Is this infringement?

Many vendors in Pittsburgh sell merchandise with this logo. My listing was removed by Etsy after notice of intellectual property infringement from NFL Properties, LLC. This logo can be looked up on Google as "Pittsburgh Combined Team Logo". The only portion of the Pittsburgh Steelers logo is the 3 diamonds. This is also used for Steel Companies as well. Can I make merchandise with this combined sports logo or is it infringement?

1 Lawyer Answer
Marcos Garciaacosta
Marcos Garciaacosta
Answered
  • Intellectual Property Lawyer
  • Mesa, AZ

A: Nope. Most leagues have enforcement teams and will depend on how strongly they enforce their rights.

You want logos or brands that are as far away from those registered products as possible.

NFL owns the names, logos, art of all teams, so you run into problems the closer you get to those creations in your products.

Make a Consultation to understand your options.

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