Would I get in trouble?

[Rob Stevens]

Hi All,

Looking for advice here.

There was an independent clothing brand I used to love. I bought a lot of their clothes and they had a cool logo. Sadly the business was dissolved a few years back, they don't exist anymore. So I thought maybe I could start up a new business in the same style, using same/similar logo for some tribute designs. Could I get in trouble for this even though they are gone as a brand now?

Thanks!

 

[STDFR33]

The company may have dissolved but another entity could have bought their assets. You'll need to do some digging.

 

[James Akcela]

Was it a registered IP? If not, then probably not if the company no longer exists.

Morally, contact the owner, ask what they want for their IP and then buy it, register it and run with it.

 

[obscure]

The trademark may possibly have expired but the copyright would still cover the logo, which would belong to whomever ended up with the company. A competitor may have bought the assets, or the copyright may vest with the original designer or it may now belong to the crown.

 

[Lisa Thomas]

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/bona-vacantia

 

[Raggle Taggle Gypsy]

My limited understanding of Trademarks tells me that even if its lapsed, they may still have some rights due to past usage. So producing a similar logo may be problematic.

As mentioned the Logo will be copyright to its producer or License owner.

Not that any of that should put you off. Speak to the past owner and see if you can come to an agreement.

 

[Lisa Thomas]

If the past owner was the dissolved Limited Company you will now need to speak to Bona Vacantia.