Jump to content

Record Label Logos


GA Russell

Recommended Posts

Am I correct in believing that if a European CD's cover includes the logo of the original record company, that indicates that the CD is an authorized release utilizing the masters?

Here is a Roy Orbison release of his Sun recordings.  The cover seems to include the Sun logo.  So can we conclude that this is an authorized release?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0002ZUIHI/

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems likely to me. I just checked up on a gospel album I bought recently on an Eastern European label - it's a Peacock recording - and that doesn't carry any logo or mention the name Peacock. Never thought of this angle before.

Logo copyrights must last until the last company that owned the label has finally folded and the logo isn't passed on to any successor firm. That might not be for ever, but will probably be a very long time.

MG

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Under US law, a name like Sun is a trademark, not a copyright.  To protect a trademark in a particular country, you need to file a trademark registration with the applicable patent and trademark office.  The Sun name, as applied to musical recordings, may be trademarked in the US but that doesn’t mean trademark protection applies to other countries unless there is a trademark registration in that country. 

Without knowing more, it’s hard to answer the question. 

Edited by Brad
Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, Big Beat Steve said:

If you check the item description further down on that Amazon page you see the label name GENERAL IMPORT. Never heard of ...

 

 

It's not a label name - it's a description - an unhelpful one.

Oh, I think you knew that and it's a goak, as Artemus Ward used to say.

MG

er... THIS Artemus Ward

https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Artemus_Ward

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Actually I did not know for sure. Public Domain labels often have quite generic names that don't say much, and in most (though not all) cases the actual label name figures exactly there on the Amazon site.. So I'l admit whatever is written there is not totally reliable but your guess is as good as mine. Discogs did not yield anything (though if that record actually dates from 2004 - as the Amazon description  says - it ought to have shown up in secondhand circles by now). But again - whatever it is - I'd not assume it is anything but a Public Domain reissue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...