Hephaestos (talk | contribs) m fix boilerplates |
1) Give rationale for including logos. 2) Don't use logos promotionally. |
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While corporate logos are very useful to help confirm that an article is about the company which has that logo and to indicate how that company wishes to be seen, the close association between some companies and their logos makes their use a sensitive topic for some companies, so some care is desirable. |
While corporate logos are very useful to help confirm that an article is about the company which has that logo and to indicate how that company wishes to be seen, the close association between some companies and their logos makes their use a sensitive topic for some companies, so some care is desirable. |
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The encyclopedic rationale for including a logo is similar to the rationale for including portraits of, e.g. [[Stephen Crane]] or [[Nicole Kidman]]. It is difficult to explain in words what information is conveyed by such a portrait, yet most users feel that they provide something valuable. The logo should be regarded as the corporate portrait. |
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*Corporate logos should be presumed to be trademarks. |
*Corporate logos should be presumed to be trademarks. |
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*Avoid using a logo in any way that creates an impression that the purpose of its inclusion is to promote the company. Generally, logos should be used only when the company and its logo are reasonably familiar (or when the logo itself is of interest for design or artistic reasons). |
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*Corporate logos should not generally be used in contexts which are, taken as a whole, strongly negative toward the company. The main article about the company or an article discussing the visual style of the creator of the logo or its history and evolution are fine. Within the article, the real logo should generally be used near the introductory paragraph, adjacent to text which is simply descriptive and which presents a clearly neutral point of view. People tend to recognize logos quickly, so a placement at the start helps the logo to do its job and confirm that people have arrived at the right article. This '''does not''' mean that we should censor the article - only that we place the logo near neutral text, not in the middle of long passages criticising a policy of the company. |
*Corporate logos should not generally be used in contexts which are, taken as a whole, strongly negative toward the company. The main article about the company or an article discussing the visual style of the creator of the logo or its history and evolution are fine. Within the article, the real logo should generally be used near the introductory paragraph, adjacent to text which is simply descriptive and which presents a clearly neutral point of view. People tend to recognize logos quickly, so a placement at the start helps the logo to do its job and confirm that people have arrived at the right article. This '''does not''' mean that we should censor the article - only that we place the logo near neutral text, not in the middle of long passages criticising a policy of the company. |
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*Defaced logos or logo parodies should be used with care and not given undue prominence. Parodies of logos are entirely lawful but the parody is seldom as important ''in an article about the company'' as the main company logo. In an article about a parody site or campaign against some aspect of the operations of the company, the modified logo could properly be given greater prominence, since the subject is the parody. |
*Defaced logos or logo parodies should be used with care and not given undue prominence. Parodies of logos are entirely lawful but the parody is seldom as important ''in an article about the company'' as the main company logo. In an article about a parody site or campaign against some aspect of the operations of the company, the modified logo could properly be given greater prominence, since the subject is the parody. |
Revision as of 14:09, 3 January 2004
Logo policy
The issue of whether corporate logos can and should be included in articles is currently being discussed. Join the discussion on the talk page. Expect very rapid changes throughout December 2003 as those who are interested try changes and comment on the proposals each makes in talk.
While corporate logos are very useful to help confirm that an article is about the company which has that logo and to indicate how that company wishes to be seen, the close association between some companies and their logos makes their use a sensitive topic for some companies, so some care is desirable.
The encyclopedic rationale for including a logo is similar to the rationale for including portraits of, e.g. Stephen Crane or Nicole Kidman. It is difficult to explain in words what information is conveyed by such a portrait, yet most users feel that they provide something valuable. The logo should be regarded as the corporate portrait.
- Corporate logos should be presumed to be trademarks.
- Avoid using a logo in any way that creates an impression that the purpose of its inclusion is to promote the company. Generally, logos should be used only when the company and its logo are reasonably familiar (or when the logo itself is of interest for design or artistic reasons).
- Corporate logos should not generally be used in contexts which are, taken as a whole, strongly negative toward the company. The main article about the company or an article discussing the visual style of the creator of the logo or its history and evolution are fine. Within the article, the real logo should generally be used near the introductory paragraph, adjacent to text which is simply descriptive and which presents a clearly neutral point of view. People tend to recognize logos quickly, so a placement at the start helps the logo to do its job and confirm that people have arrived at the right article. This does not mean that we should censor the article - only that we place the logo near neutral text, not in the middle of long passages criticising a policy of the company.
- Defaced logos or logo parodies should be used with care and not given undue prominence. Parodies of logos are entirely lawful but the parody is seldom as important in an article about the company as the main company logo. In an article about a parody site or campaign against some aspect of the operations of the company, the modified logo could properly be given greater prominence, since the subject is the parody.
- When uploading a corporate logo, whether current or historical, include this suggested boilerplate in the image description:
- Not GFDL. Corporate logo of XYZ incorporated. Obtained from [describe where; URL if from website]. See [[Wikipedia:Logos]] for guidance on use.
- Reasonable diligence should be taken to ensure that the logo is accurate and has a high-quality appearance. Common sense says that a logo displayed prominently on the corporation's own website should be OK to use, because it represents that company's wishes about how the logo is presented on computer screens at typical screen resolutions. Avoid resizing a logo—try to find one that is a suitable size. Do not use a resized logo if it doesn't look good.
- Usually, the current logo should be the logo presented. When an historical logo is used, the caption should indicate this.
- When displayed in place in the article, logo should contain the following caption below it:
- Corporate logo of XYZ Incorporated. Usage restricted. Trademarks on this page belong to their owner. See [[Wikipedia:Image use policy]].
- In no case should the logo of any encyclopedia or other reference work be used in a Wikipedia article.
- It is not necessary to seek formal permission from a corporation in advance of using their logo, so long as the usage is fair use, does not create any impression that the logo is associated with or endorses Wikipedia or the article it appears in, and does not create any reasonable grounds for complaint by the trademark owner. The purpose of the specific guidelines above is to meet these conditions.
- In the event that a corporation objects to the use made of a logo, the suggested action is for the corporation's representative to remove the logo themselves, and identify themselves and their reasons for removing it on the associated talk page.
- In the case of any dispute, the burden of proof is on the person who wishes to include the logo. When a logo is removed because of an objection on the part of the trademark owner, no attempt should be made to re-insert the logo (except perhaps under very extraordinary circumstances, and only after extensive discussion). The other provisions of this policy is intended to cover ordinary, common-sense usage. When the circumstances are unusual and the use of the logo is in dispute, this policy should not be cited as weighing on the side of inclusion.