Looking for "FBI WARNING" and "Not Yet Rated" Intertitles for a DVD

[DJ Kinney]

I am looking for "FBI WARNING" and "Not Yet Rated" Intertitles for a DVD. It's odd. I thought this would be esy to find, but not so. You know, the slides that play at the beginning of the DVD...

Thanks in advance,

DJ

[Chris Swanberg]

Try here: http://www.demo-world.eu/trailers/[url], or better yet, here: http://www.livevideo.com/media/tag/d...ng-screen.aspx, You can also try a torrent here: http://www.torrentz.com/c3c4ebaa41dd...56440ad96ef170

Someone has a JPG of one here: http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/fea...i-warnings.php


Somewhere I once had a link to a site that had exactly what you are looking for... I'll see if I cannot scare it up... Otherwise PM me.

[DJ Kinney]

Thanks fr looking into that. If you find the site, please post it. i'm really having a terrible time finding this stuff.

DJ

[Shaun Roemich]

WARNING: The FBI get really upset with the use of their logo. This comes from a discussion on another forum I used to frequent where persons using the attached logo were asked to cease and desist. My understanding is that the verbiage is ok but the logo isn't, unless authorized.

[Chris Swanberg]

Yes the shield is not ok to use as per the FBI.... (although I do not know if that issue has been truly resolved). One of the sites has versions that have blanked out the screen over the shield. Thanks Shaun for raising that point.

[Bryan Daugherty]

According to the FBI copyright website, the FBI warning logo you see on studio produced movies is copyrighted and to use it without the FBI's permission is just as bad (to them) as pirating movies. see this link here: http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/ however, according to their site you can use the following information on your own copyright stamp.

"Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000."

I created a logo for my company that shows this in the foreground and my company logo scrolling (with high transparency) in the background and use it on all of my creations.

Also i believe the MPAA has service mark ownership of the rating system screens, You can create a variant yourself but be careful that it is not identical.

[Andy Tejral]

Ok, somebody wiser than me explain this:

I was unable to easily find the US Code stating this but I copied this from a copyright office PDF: "Works by the U. S. government are not eligible for U. S. copyright
protection."

How can the FBI enforce a prohibition on reproduction of their shield?

[Shaun Roemich]

Originally Posted by Bryan Daugherty

Also i believe the MPAA has service mark ownership of the rating system screens, You can create a variant yourself but be careful that it is not identical.

Similarly, the DVD-video logo is trademarked.

[Bryan Daugherty]

Originally Posted by Andy Tejral

...How can the FBI enforce a prohibition on reproduction of their shield?

If you follow the link in my post above and read the article it explains this in greater detail. The image you see on store bought DVDs is the result of an agreement with the the studios and unless you are party to that agreement you are in violation of CP law if you use that image.

Yes the DVD and Bluray logos cannot be legally placed on DVD-r or BD-r. If you glass master there is an exception according to Discmaker's (or at least it used to be that way.)

[Andy Tejral]

I'm actually asking a larger question. As I posted, I was always under the impression that works created by the government, tax forms and USGS maps for example, were in the public domain and in fact someone else could not copyright their use.

That link you provided pointed me at specific statues that state the opposite. One would be lead to believe that insigia of a government agency would be created by the government.

So that blanket statement is incorrect but I guess I would like to know what other exceptions are out there.

[Bryan Daugherty]

My guess is that like most laws there is an exception to every one and the exception is generally not in the favor of the user. I am not an attorney so i can't give advice to this but i would say that if the FBI dedicated a webpage just to this issue than they are willing to do something about it, and since they give us recommended verbiage that they say protects us (since they are the protectors of this realm) i would recommend using their language rather than the shield. it doesn't take long to create your own here is a link to one of mine.

http://s121.photobucket.com/albums/o...nt=CR-LOGO.flv

[Steve House]

Originally Posted by Andy Tejral

I'm actually asking a larger question. As I posted, I was always under the impression that works created by the government, tax forms and USGS maps for example, were in the public domain and in fact someone else could not copyright their use.

That link you provided pointed me at specific statues that state the opposite. One would be lead to believe that insigia of a government agency would be created by the government.

So that blanket statement is incorrect but I guess I would like to know what other exceptions are out there.

I'm not a lawyer and just guessing but I think logos, including logos of government agencies such as the FBI shield, would be considered trademarks. Trademark issues are not copyright issues and are covered to a whole different set of rules as to who can use them when. Even if it's public domain in terms of copyright, you still are prohibited from using trademarks and servicemarks without permission of their owners.

[Brian Kennedy]

Originally Posted by Andy Tejral

I'm actually asking a larger question. As I posted, I was always under the impression that works created by the government, tax forms and USGS maps for example, were in the public domain and in fact someone else could not copyright their use.

That link you provided pointed me at specific statues that state the opposite. One would be lead to believe that insigia of a government agency would be created by the government.

So that blanket statement is incorrect but I guess I would like to know what other exceptions are out there.

You are correct that these works are in the public domain. Their use and reproduction is restricted by laws other than the copyright and trademark laws. There are several laws that prohibit the reproduction of agency names and logos without permission. In the case of the FBI name and/or logo, it's 18 USC 709.

[Pete Bauer]

Interesting issue...and probably more complex than we would hope. Got my curiosity up so I did a little looking. The page with the graphic that Bryan linked shows a specially created emblem -- not just the FBI official emblem -- apparently produced in concert with MPAA and RIAA so it could easily fall under under copyright or trademark law.

My reading of the CFR as published gives me the impression the law is intended simply to not allow people to falsely represent themselves or their actions or products as coming from the government:

http://uscode.house.gov/download/pls/18C33.txt

The wording doesn't seem to this layperson to preclude the use of government agency names or emblems if one is just clearly stating a fact of law (like it is illegal to steal my copyrighted work and if you do, the FBI could come an' git ya) and/or they are obviously being used in a production, all while avoiding any appearance governmental involvement.

Having said all that, I don't see why anyone feels the need to tempt fate and The Feds by doing more than using the text the FBI suggested. Would be interested if anyone is aware of any case law on any of this, though.

(For the convenience of those who may be interested enough, I collected the applicable paragraphs of the CFR into the attached Word document, along with some yellow highlights I made while reading, and correcting a couple of typos that are identified by footnotes in the CFR).

[Bryan Daugherty]

Originally Posted by Pete Bauer

...The page with the graphic that Bryan linked shows a specially created emblem -- not just the FBI official emblem -- apparently produced in concert with MPAA and RIAA so it could easily fall under under copyright or trademark law.

Pete, just wanted to clarify because i posted 2 links. I think you are referring to the link to the FBI's official webpage dedicated to this matter, yes? http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/