New Trailer coming - name question?

[Charlie & Lucy]

Hi all,
We have a new 5.0TA coming in September.
As newbies we are unsure as to what is OK.
We are Charlie & Lucy. We talk between ourselves as being part of the Peanuts gang and are wondering about using Peanuts as our trailer name and using a graphic of Charlie & Lucy as our avatar and also on our trailer. If we are not selling the graphic in any way can we legally use it on the trailer? I believe Casper is being used on a member's trailer.
Thanks for your advise.
Charlie & Lucy

 

[cpaharley2008]

Hi all,
We have a new 5.0TA coming in September.
As newbies we are unsure as to what is OK.
We are Charlie & Lucy. We talk between ourselves as being part of the Peanuts gang and are wondering about using Peanuts as our trailer name and using a graphic of Charlie & Lucy as our avatar and also on our trailer. If we are not selling the graphic in any way can we legally use it on the trailer? I believe Casper is being used on a member's trailer.
Thanks for your advise.
Charlie & Lucy

I'm sure the graphics company that ETI uses would not allow any copyright plagiarism to exist, contact them.

 

[Charlie & Lucy]

I'm sure the graphics company that ETI uses would not allow any copyright plagiarism to exist, contact them.

cpaharley2008
I was thinking of creating my own graphic based on the characters. Not planning on stealing images. We are still in the planning stages. That is why I am asking. I would definitely contact ETI.
Thanks for your response!
Lucy

 

[cpaharley2008]

ETI has a local company for custom graphics in Chilliwack, that company emailed me my "BlackJack" for approval and then they supplied to ETI, there was a separate $$ charge.

 

[drpaddle]

One can request permission to use some Peanuts graphics, for non-commercial purposes (like that proposed), by emailing service@peanuts.com. The official website advises patience; it may take a few weeks to get an answer.

"Inspired by" images are still considered, by many courts, to be copyright infringement.

Would anyone enforce against an individual using unlicensed images on a personal trailer? I don't know.

For our trailer, we found vector graphics we liked and bought a license to use them; we provided license info to ETI. The license cost us -- wait for it -- $6 US. In a quick search, however, I can't find any Peanuts cartoon character graphics offered in a similar way. All I found was that email address.

Good luck!

On a barely-related note, we're still enjoying replays of the "Peanuts" fake field goal play in the recent Seahawks - Packers football game. Yeah, not very related.

 

[Donna D.]

I deal with copyright all the time. It can be arduous. One of the easiest to understand publications is the one attached here. it's not written in legalese and is from the United States Copyright Office. If you read nothing more than the first two paragraphs you'll know more than most people. Pay attention to the word "derivative," that means to change. Only the copyright owner has the right to CHANGE an image. So, if you take Mickey Mouse and change his buttons to triangles and his ears to squares... you will still be in violation of the copyright.

 

[Charlie & Lucy]

Thank you all for your responses. Thanks drpaddle and Donna D, and will read them now. Thanks for attaching.
We certainly don't want to infringe on copyright. We were just playing around with our names. If in fact we do decide to use "Peanuts" or "Peanut", we can do so without a graphic or use a photo of actual peanuts. Of course at that point it will be an inside joke with us. We have other alternatives for names, and may wind up not using Peanuts at all.
It's all a work in progress and we are just starting our build adventure! We appreciate everything that we have read in the forum posts and especially all responses we have and will receive.
Thanks again!
Charlie & Lucy

 

[rbryan4]

Thank you all for your responses. Thanks drpaddle and Donna D, and will read them now. Thanks for attaching.
We certainly don't want to infringe on copyright. We were just playing around with our names. If in fact we do decide to use "Peanuts" or "Peanut", we can do so without a graphic or use a photo of actual peanuts. Of course at that point it will be an inside joke with us. We have other alternatives for names, and may wind up not using Peanuts at all.
It's all a work in progress and we are just starting our build adventure! We appreciate everything that we have read in the forum posts and especially all responses we have and will receive.
Thanks again!
Charlie & Lucy

The word 'Peanuts' is a registered trademark, but it's also a generic because it describes other things, so enforcement would be difficult if not impossible. Thousands of formerly trademarked names have gone generic as well. For instance, 'Aspirin' was once a registered trademark, and so was 'Elevator'. You could always have the word Peanuts placed on your trailer by ETI's graphics supplier in any font you like, and accompany it with an officially licensed sticker sold by the Snoopy Store.

Stickers - Accessories - Gifts - Products

 

[Charlie & Lucy]

Hi rbryan4,
Thank you for your wonderful suggestion! Something to think about! There would be no copyright infringement then... would there?
PS... enjoy your new trailer. We are quite jealous!

 

[rbryan4]

Hi rbryan4,
Thank you for your wonderful suggestion! Something to think about! There would be no copyright infringement then... would there?
PS... enjoy your new trailer. We are quite jealous!

I'm no lawyer (Thank God) but there would be no copyright infringement because you did not copy the graphic. As for the trademark name, a little more hazy, but the word Peanuts is too common imho to worry about.

 

[santacruzer]

From a practical standpoint, no one is likely to pursue an infringement suit against a solitary user copying something singularly for his or her own enjoyment. Such use actually enhances the brand being copied. Witness the thousands of people who have the Harley-Davidson logo emblazoned on a wide variety of body parts!

 

[Donna D.]

Actually, Disney, Winchester Rifle, Harley Davidson, Porsche and Smith& Wesson... don't mess with them. They have better lawyers than you can afford. I'm not telling you what to do... just don't post pictures. You'd be surprised how some corporations are crawling the WWW looking. Google and Pinterest is making it easy for them. I belong to two different creative groups on Facebook. Some of the members have received Cease and Desist Orders from major corporations.

As far as the Peanuts gang... I can see a pile of peanuts in the shell as a decal. Or two or three peanuts standing upright with the bottoms connecting. Folks would GET it.

 

[Brian B-P]

I think the genuine Peanuts stickers are a great idea. Too bad none of them are the name "Peanuts", but custom lettering of "Charlie and Lucy" is just your names - no problem there.

Sometimes I think it's not about what you can get away with, it's about what is right. The authorized stickers are certainly right; other schemes...

 

[Brian B-P]

I agree that some corporations vigourously defend their trademarks, and I think they should. Bayer's effective loss of "Asprin" is an unusual exception, and not a normal case.

 

[Donna D.]

Actually my favorite Peanuts character is Pig Pen... I just laugh when I see the dust. Kinda feel right at home.

 

[azjack]

trailer name

Just think up an idea and then have a local pin striper/sign painter put it on and it will probably not make a corp. unhappy as it will be different and not being sold as a decal would. At the same time you could adjust the Escape decal with color. Our Casita that had blue trim was towed by a red truck so the decal became red & blue.
Jack

 

[Dave&Kathie]

Here's a company that sells exterior grade Peanuts decals in different sizes:
Peanuts Decals | Stickers

Cute idea, love it!

Kathie

 

[Jubal]

If you search the internet with you browser you will find peanuts clip art that is for non profit use.
Peanuts Clipart - Snoopy, Charlie Brown, Lucy - Cartoon Clipart, etc.
The clip art can be provided to the graphics company.

 

[rbryan4]

Yes, there are companies and there is clip art all over the web for the Peanuts characters. Availability doesn't mean legality. I would use them with no heartburn whatsoever, because I believe that the intent of copyright law is to prevent the misuse and damage of a brand, and to prevent another party from profiting off your idea -- and that is not the case when i put an image of snoopy or Charlie Brown on my trailer. BUT that in no way makes it legal. The OP was concerned about the legality of it, not whether it can be done.

 

[Charlie & Lucy]

Thanks one and all for all your comments. We will see you on the road at some point!
We will always be Charlie & Lucy... And Peanuts in some form or another ... Donna D I have some photos of actual peanuts and that might be a possibility. we were thinking along the same lines!