Are Greek letters copyrighted?

Are Greek letters copyrighted?

Greek letters are considered public domain in the same way that the English alphabet is, which is to say that the alphabet can be appropriated to create slogans and names without inherently risking infringement.

Can you sell items with Greek letters?

Anyone that plans to sell Greek themed sorority or fraternity items must be licensed. This includes the use of the organization’s name, Greek letters, crests, badges, and insignias. Sorority or Fraternity members must be licensed if they plan to sell items with trademarks on them.

Are frat letters copyrighted?

Fraternities and sororities also possess strong trade- mark rights in not only their names and logos, but also in their Greek letter combinations, slogans, and even color combinations. Owners of such marks can use the TM symbol to signify their rights and do not need a federal trademark registration.

Can you trademark a letter of the alphabet?

Single letters are among the most popular trademarks registered in the United States. Each letter of the alphabet has, at a minimum, hundreds of trademarks. There are, for example, over 2,000 trademarks of the letter S, making it the most popular.

Is Delta Sigma Theta trademarked?

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. is committed to the protection of its sacred trademarks and is dedicated to forming fruitful relationships with those parties interested in using Delta’s federally registered and common law trademarks.

Can sorority pledges wear letters?

In my sorority you are not allowed to wear letters until you are initiated. The only things, sorority related, that they are allowed to wear are party t-shirts, their pledge pins, and anything with the name of our sorority spelled out.

What is an affinity licensed product?

Affinity Licensing is a full-service trademark licensing firm that combines more than 100 years of expertise in collegiate, athletic, fraternal and association licensing to help our clients accelerate their brands. We do that by delivering better solutions to brand management, client advocacy and vendor cultivation.

Can I print Greek letters?

Printing Greek Letters & Symbols on Promotional Products The good news is that the fraternities and sororities are fairly lenient about how their symbol and letters are printed. The only thing that needs to be exact is the fraternity or sorority’s trademark crest.

How do you start a Greek organization?

How to Start a New Fraternity at Your School – A Guide

1. Research fraternities.
2. Contact the fraternity’s national board.
3. Contact your school’s Greek Life office.
4. Create an interest group.
5. Affiliate your interest group with a national organization.
6. Apply for recognition from your school’s Greek Life office.

Can you copyright a letter?

A personal letter is subject to copyright protection – regardless of whether the letter is published or unpublished. In most cases, the writer of the letter is the copyright owner of the letter. As the recipient of the letter, you exercise control over the tangible copy which you may keep, sell, or discard.

Is WTF trademarked?

The multi-national consumer goods maker, Procter & Gamble, have filed trademark applications for four popular acronyms: WTF (what the f***), LOL (laughing out loud), NBD (no big deal), and FML (f*** my life).

Is DST trademarked?

Are there any trademarks for the Greek letters?

The Greek letters, names, mascots, crests, or any combination used by fraternities and sororities are all trademarked. You’ve probably heard the word “trademark” before, but just in case, here’s a breakdown of what that means: It may seem weird to think about trademarking Greek letters, since the alphabet is ancient and culturally specific.

Do you need a license to print Greek letters?

If you intend on printing the Greek letters and symbols from a fraternity or sorority on t-shirts, water bottles, stress balls, or any other promotional items, you must first obtain the necessary license. The team at Affinity Licensing will review the artwork and approve it before you can go forward with the order.

Is the Greek alphabet in the public domain?

Greek letters are considered public domain in the same way that the English alphabet is, which is to say that the alphabet can be appropriated to create slogans and names without inherently risking infringement.

Can a Greek University claim ownership of a trademark?

Just like other trademark owners (for example, colleges and universities), Greek organizations have the right and obligation to claim ownership of their marks and to control the use of those marks. They do this through their licensing programs.