4 symbols copyrighted (boring technicalities)

[Jean Lorrah <a21711f@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 11:08 AM 11/21/97 CST, Nathan wrote:
>Quick question out to all of those in the know.   Does anybody know if
>the 4 symbols are copyrighted?  My friend is thinking of making some
>jewelry using them, and we need to know for legal reasons.

Two of them, JPJ's and Bonzo's, are not copyrightable or trademarkable.
They are ancient symbols, unaltered from their original forms.  Make jewelry
in these shapes, individually, to your heart's content.

You can't copyright either a feather or a circle, but it's possible to
either copyright or trademark the combination of the two.  If the specific
shape of Robert's feather within a circle is found as an ancient symbol as
he claims, then it is in the same category as JPJ's and Bonzo's.

ZoSo is eminently copyrightable and trademarkable, as it's an original.
Even if it is made up of shapes found elsewhere, the combination is unique
and so can be copyrighted.

The four symbols together are copyrightable and trademarkable.  However, as
first used they could not be copyrighted--titles cannot be copyrighted.
They could have been trademarked as a unit, but as we never see the
trademark symbol associated with them, apparently that has never been done.

The Page/Plant Zoso/Feather combination _is_ copyrighted; there is a
copyright notice, with Page/Plant as copyright holders, on the back of the
pin I bought at the Chicago concert.  There is no trademark notice.

So, check Four Symbols artifacts that don't include other artwork--T-shirts,
posters, badges--for copyright notices.  Whatever you find to be carrying
the notice is not available for you to make jewelry from--always with the
exception of the two symbols which are in the public domain by virtue of
being ancient designs.  If you do find these two as separate entities
bearing copyright notices, the copyright is not on the shape but the color
or medium or position in combination with something else--in other words, on
those two as long as your jewelry doesn't copy the _way_ someone else
incorporated them into a design, you are free to use the shapes as you wish.

Funny that Swansong didn't trademark the symbols as a unit--that is a much
stronger protection than copyright.  Jean

Jean Lorrah A21711F@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (***Dec. 19-26, 1997 reach me at
Jean1@xxxxxxxx***)
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/3439/ http://www.geocities.com/Athens/4165/