Is copying of great things and showing our hand work, legal or not?

Discussion in 'Debate Masterminds' started by Praveen-Kumar, Feb 24, 2012.

    Praveen-Kumar Knight

    Message Count:
    6,393
    Ratings Received:
    +695
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Did Verisign Steal Axis Bank’s Logo?

    In 2010, Verisign sold its authentication business unit to Symantec (the makers of the Norton Anti-Virus suite) for $1.28 billion. Verisign manages two of the world’s 13 Internet root servers.

    Shortly after the deal was made, Verisign introduced a new “V” logo.
    [IMG]

    What is unbelievable is that it looks like a complete rip-off of Axis Bank‘s logo; just flipped vertically.
    [IMG]

    The Axis Bank logo was introduced in the year 2007 after the bank, one of India’s largest private sector lender, announced that it would be changing its name from UTI Bank and that it would be exercising a complete re-branding of the bank.

    Source: http://blog.archit.in/2011/09/did-verisign-steal-axis-banks-logo/

    By the way, has anyone heard of the automobile company, Mitsubishi? Their logo is:
    [IMG]

    Can you find from where Axis Bank had stolen the logo from? Filling the gaps!!! :p

    Source: Myself! :p

    Now CEans, the right question is,

    Is copying of great things and showing our hand work, legal or not?

    When a top most security company has done something like this, and when a big bank firm has done something like this, what is wrong in a budding designer like us, doing this??? :)

    silverscorpion Certified CEan

    Message Count:
    1,889
    Ratings Received:
    +139
    Engineering Discipline:
    Electronics & Telecommunications
    Well, 'A' when inverted looks a lot like 'V' too.

    Why do you think it's a copy? Why can't it be a coincidence? With all the companies, and all their logos, there are definitely bound to be similarities or supposedly copied logos. And more important is, you can't ensure that the logo you are using is absolutely original all the time. It's also not necessary to do so, especially if the parties in question are not direct competitors. In this case, Axis bank is definitely not a competitor in any way to Verisign.

    You can go through these..
    When Logos look alike
    Similar logos

    So, from automobiles to sports wear to cold drinks to operating systems, there are many places where logos are very much similar to each other. And we can only say that they are coincidences, as no one deliberately designs their logos to resemble some other logo.

    And finally,
    We should not do something just because some big firm is doing it.. Plagiarism is bad, regardless of who does that. If as a budding designer you design a logo, and by chance it did resemble some other well known logo, that's ok. But just because some other big firm supposedly copied another logo, doesn't mean when you do it, it's ok.
    • Like Like x 2

    Vivien.hugo Certified CEan

    Message Count:
    129
    Ratings Received:
    +23
    Engineering Discipline:
    IT
    If it's the coincidence we should forgive. But if the two look much like each other, more than 90%. Maybe is not just coincidence.
    • The MOD Squad

    Kaustubh Katdare The Good Admin

    Message Count:
    28,400
    Ratings Received:
    +2,835
    Engineering Discipline:
    Electrical
    I don't think it's coincidence or copy. Almost everything in this world has at least one another thing that resembles in looks. Ultimately those are geometric shapes that we see in the logos of most of the companies.

    "Copying" is not good and stealing is a strict 'no'. But looking at the battles of Apple and Samsung over the designs; it seems to me that the copyrights and patent laws should be given another look. Anything that makes the things better should made available for others. Of course that just a thought.

    K!r@nS!ngu Certified CEan

    Message Count:
    617
    Ratings Received:
    +174
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science
    427651_341010712599248_275285939171726_1148606_1958054059_n


    Some more Copy Cats...
    • Like Like x 4

    Sada Apprentice

    Message Count:
    5,141
    Ratings Received:
    +282
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science
    @Praveen -How can you say that it's copy?

    Okay, Same kind of question my friend asked me once And my reply to her is -
    Now you can say that dresses don't have patent rights. I said this for an example of a human feeling. Hope this might be a reason with some of them, who knows? I can't see any thing wrong in doing so.

    @Kiran - If you keep on browsing the web you can see plenty of things like what you've posted. You can't call them as copy cats.

    Praveen-Kumar Knight

    Message Count:
    6,393
    Ratings Received:
    +695
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science

    Praveen-Kumar Knight

    Message Count:
    6,393
    Ratings Received:
    +695
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science

    ShrinkDWorld Certified CEan

    Message Count:
    632
    Ratings Received:
    +6
    Engineering Discipline:
    Mechanical
    I just want to pull your attention to heading of the thread. Check my signature. Did you visit my link?
    There is one thing, that is ctrl+c & ctrl+v. Now what you say about it whether it is legal or not?

    CE Designer Ace

    Message Count:
    439
    Ratings Received:
    +141
    Engineering Discipline:
    Mechanical
    If they are two totally different companies selling totally different products/services then law would not see it as wrong. It would be wrong if similar logos would confuse customers or if it were an attempt to use an established company's trademark for the benefit of your own. If it is proven that no confusion will take place then no wrong is given.
    In this case its two totally different companies. Its alos just one letter in the logo in question, it would be ridiculous to argue this in court.

    CE Designer Ace

    Message Count:
    439
    Ratings Received:
    +141
    Engineering Discipline:
    Mechanical
    This reminds me, I read about the movie Jodi Breakers starring Bipasha Basu directed by Ashwini Chaudry. It was alledged that the producer copied the French film Heartbreakers. The lawyers looked at the film and found no similarities.
    • The MOD Squad

    AbraKaDabra Moderator

    Message Count:
    8,832
    Ratings Received:
    +1,156
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Take any film idea/concept and put it into Indian Context, you get something profoundly dissimilar, that doesn't mean they shouldn't give credit to the original story. But then, it could be a marketing gimmick.
    • Like Like x 2

    zaveri Star

    Message Count:
    1,347
    Ratings Received:
    +205
    Engineering Discipline:
    Mechanical
    @praveen

    why should anyone bother if a logo has been copied ? in what way is the party, whose logo got copied, losing.

    zaveri Star

    Message Count:
    1,347
    Ratings Received:
    +205
    Engineering Discipline:
    Mechanical
    @ kiran singy

    did mercedes benz really copy its logo from somebody else ?

    bluearth Certified CEan

    Message Count:
    1
    Ratings Received:
    +0
    Engineering Discipline:
    Aerospace
    Guys, be in real world!!
    wht does ur eyes say?
    Dont they look similar...... wht evr relevant or irrelevant product they are selling..
    Dont speak up on that, any big advertising agnecy gets the contract to design that logo....& SO CALLED COINCIENDENCE HAPPENS...i must say what a coincidence.
    May be tomorrow u clone urself and one starts walking upside down " one would say its just conincidence no surprise son!

    Hey praveen thats true wht u meantioned man.

    manishks Certified CEan

    Message Count:
    210
    Ratings Received:
    +35
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Yes! It might be a coincidence.
    But sometimes it can also be a marketing gimmic! As we see in case of chinese phones! Their phone designs are so similar to other branded phones. Any way we know they are chinese phones. But people do buy a phone(chinese) which looks like some other branded phone say lumia 800. Here chinese phone designs are copied from other already popular phones to increase their sales.
    But Pravin is talking about two big players of their respective field. Even verisign would be knowing that people would raise questions if they copy someone else's logo. Also verisign and axis bank, both belong to different fields!
    So i dont think verisign tried to copy the logo. Instead its definitly a coincidence. Because verisign wont have any profit if they copy axis banks logo.
    But who knows ,may be versign would have found axis's logo extremly cool!! So they made a similar logo :p

    Praveen-Kumar Knight

    Message Count:
    6,393
    Ratings Received:
    +695
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Similar! Lolz... If you rotate something vertical, you say that as similar?
    • Like Like x 1

    manishks Certified CEan

    Message Count:
    210
    Ratings Received:
    +35
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science
    Ya ya its almost an exact copy!! :) companies should do a proper research before finalizing a logo! If intention is of copying, nothing we can do about that!

    Praveen-Kumar Knight

    Message Count:
    6,393
    Ratings Received:
    +695
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science
    And yeah, what will people think about Verisign after knowing that they have done this? :eek:

    kidakaka Addict

    Message Count:
    814
    Ratings Received:
    +49
    Engineering Discipline:
    Computer Science
    I dont see them using that logo anymore.

Share This Page