Have a slogan for a marketing print campaign containing two pro athletes?
Posted Friday, July 16, 2010 by admin
I have a very catchy slogan for an ad (figure billboards, magazine page) that would contain 2 pro athletes in the ad.
I am trying to figure out how i can copyright or patten my marketing slogan (also know that there are two pro athletes names in my slogan that i want to make mine).
Any advice on how i can make this original slogan or phrase if you will mine…so if i present it to a company (say like Nike), they can’t use it against me and say it is there own.
Thanks for all the help you can supply to me with your knowledge!
Slogans need to be trademarked. But you cannot legally use a person’s name without their permission. So you cannot file for trademark (or copyright, etc) without the permission and licensing of the two athletes involved. That will cost you a very great deal — they can get a million dollars or more for the use of their name in an ad slogan.
Nike is not going to buy your “slogan.” They have professionals to do this. And they can only use athletes who are under contract to them.
You can’t really patent an idea for an ad, so until the ad makes it into print you run the risk of someone else coming up with the same idea. Get it into print though, and you can copyright it then. Patents are more for inventions, not ads and marketing ploys.
Also, it’s patent, not patten, and when referring to a 3rd person or group possessory is their, not there (which refers to a place or location).