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Thread: What are Canonical's policies regarding Ubuntu logo "fan art" avatars?

  1. #1
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    What are Canonical's policies regarding Ubuntu logo "fan art" avatars?

    I have an idea for an Ubuntu logo based "fan art" avatar. But I have no formal association with Ubuntu or Canonical, I'm just a user who likes Ubuntu/Xubuntu, and I don't want to pretend to be something I'm not. And I can't find anything about Canonical's policies regarding this sort of thing.

    I see other users with Ubuntu logo avatars on this forum. But some of them definitely do have an actual association with Ubuntu or Canonical. And for the others, based on their posting history I can't rule out that they might too.

    Anyone here know what Canonical's rules are regarding Ubuntu logo "fan art" avatars for people like me?

    Thanks
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  2. #2
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    Re: What are Canonical's policies regarding Ubuntu logo "fan art" avatars?

    Some info here.

    I have made many wallpapers over the years for new releases for my own use.
    Last edited by Frogs Hair; June 10th, 2021 at 10:40 PM.
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  3. #3
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    Re: What are Canonical's policies regarding Ubuntu logo "fan art" avatars?

    And there is this

    https://ubuntu.com/legal/intellectual-property-policy

    The only connection I have with Canonical is that I use Ubuntu; contribute to this forum and have signed the code of conduct. I expect that Canonical employees have the same freedoms and limitations as the rest of us.

    My avatar image was provided by this forum. I think it was to commemorate ten years of Ubuntu forums.

    Regards
    Last edited by grahammechanical; June 10th, 2021 at 11:57 PM.
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    Re: What are Canonical's policies regarding Ubuntu logo "fan art" avatars?

    Thanks for the replies. I had seen those links, but I still don't see there any details of what is or isn't allowed in terms of what I would call "trademark-based fan art" avatars? (Is it there but I'm just not seeing it even looking again now?)

    Quote Originally Posted by halogen2 View Post
    I see other users with Ubuntu logo avatars on this forum.
    To be more specific, grahammechanical's avatar is not the sort of thing I was thinking of when I wrote that. My avatar idea would be based on the "Circle of Friends" logo, but it wouldn't use the official Ubuntu color scheme. (And again, there are users here with avatars that are - or contain - much closer to a straight recoloring-to-non-official-coloring of the logo than what I have in mind. But, again, I don't know if all of those people have some formal association with Ubuntu or Canonical.)
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    Re: What are Canonical's policies regarding Ubuntu logo "fan art" avatars?

    Let me put this differently. I know the sort of avatar I have in mind is allowed for at least some people, because I see other users here using non-compliant-with-the-link-Frogs-Hair-posted modified Ubuntu logos as avatar and forum staff aren't removing those avatars.

    Should I name a few names to find out if someone knows if these people all have some association with Ubuntu or Canonical? If they all do or if they don't then I think that would answer my question.
    Xubuntu 22.04, ArchLinux, Debian 11 ♦ System76 hardware, VirtualBox, virt-manager/KVM
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  6. #6
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    Re: What are Canonical's policies regarding Ubuntu logo "fan art" avatars?

    I do not speak for the copyright owner of the Ubuntu logo nor can I speak for the forum moderators. I will give my thoughts as a Ubuntu user. Things to consider:

    1) Do you intend to make money out of your art work design?
    2) Do you intend to copyright your art work design?
    3) Could copyrighting your art work give you claim to "prior art" regarding the Ubuntu copyrighted logo?
    4) Do you accept that Canonical has a "prior art" claim to art work that is based upon the Ubuntu logo?

    There have been cases in the past of people taking someone's invention that was not patented and patenting it in their own name making millions from it. A similar thing has happened with material that was not in copyright. This is why the developers of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) have introduced their own version of software licences. And even the concept of copyleft.

    To put things another way, I, for one, have no authority to make a decision in this matter.

    Regards
    It is a machine. It is more stupid than we are. It will not stop us from doing stupid things.
    Ubuntu user #33,200. Linux user #530,530


  7. #7
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    Re: What are Canonical's policies regarding Ubuntu logo "fan art" avatars?

    Quote Originally Posted by grahammechanical View Post
    Things to consider:

    1) Do you intend to make money out of your art work design?
    2) Do you intend to copyright your art work design?
    3) Could copyrighting your art work give you claim to "prior art" regarding the Ubuntu copyrighted logo?
    4) Do you accept that Canonical has a "prior art" claim to art work that is based upon the Ubuntu logo?
    1) No, just use it as my avatar on this forum because I think it would look cool and I think Ubuntu and flavors are awesome.

    2) No, and anyway I wouldn't consider it mine to copyright since it would be fan art of a Canonical trademark and I have no real association with Canonical at all, certainly not in any legal capacity.

    3) No, the Ubuntu logo has obviously been around longer than anything I would do in 2021.

    4) Yes.
    Last edited by halogen2; June 13th, 2021 at 12:57 AM.
    Xubuntu 22.04, ArchLinux, Debian 11 ♦ System76 hardware, VirtualBox, virt-manager/KVM
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