GW Brand, Merchandise and Copyright Guidelines

GW Brand Guidelines and Purchasing Merchandise

• The Licensing and Trademarks Program (LTP) promotes and regulates the use of GW’s federally trademarked names and identifying marks. 
• Proper usage of the George Washington University ("GW" or the "university") name, logos, seal, and colors is important to the image and integrity of the university.
• All organizations must follow the George Washington University Name, Logo, Seal, and Color Usage Policy and the GW Identity Standards & Guidelines to ensure that all entities at the university are presented in a unified visual style. 
• Organizations are permitted to create their own logos; however, organizations must not incorporate or misuse the GW logo (e.g., adding text to the GW logo, changing the color of the GW logo, overlaying graphics on the GW logo). 
  • Note: Clubs Sports teams must use a GW approved Club Sport logo for their uniforms and apparel purchases. See “Club Sports - Additional Information” for more information.

Using the GW Trademarks and Logos for Merchandise

• Common examples of “merchandise” purchased by student organizations include, but are not limited to shirts, hats, backpacks, mugs, pens, and other promotional items.
• Student organizations that use university funds (e.g., Revenue, Budget, Department) must include “GW”, “George Washington University”,or other approved wordmark or logo.
• If your merchandise has “GW”, “George Washington University” or any of the wordmarks owned by the university, it must be approved by the licensing and trademarks department and follow the trademark guidelines prior to printing. 
• All merchandise must be purchased from a university-approved licensed vendor. 
• Additional information, including enforcement of policies, can be found on the Trademark Guidelines website and the Merchandise Guidelines for Student Organizations (PDF). 
   

Using Copyrighted Materials 

Copyright Overview

Copyright is a form of protection provided by U.S. law to authors of “original works of authorship” from the time the works are created in a fixed form. Copyright protection in the U.S. exists automatically from the moment the original work of authorship is fixed. A work is “fixed” when it is captured (either by or under the authority of an author) in a sufficiently permanent medium such that the work can be perceived, reproduced, or communicated for more than a short time.

A copyrighted work cannot be copied, performed, distributed, or displayed without permission from the copyright holder. Examples of copyrightable works include literary works, musical works, dramatic works, choreographic works, pictorial and graphic works, and more.

Registered student organizations are expected to know what is permitted under copyright law; to respect the rights of copyright holders; and to utilize copyrightable works in compliance with laws, university policies, and any binding agreements. In addition to consulting with your Staff Advisor and Org Help, student organizations should review Copyright Basics, a publication of the U.S. Copyright Office and other publications of the U.S. Copyright Office to better understand U.S. copyright law.

Users of copyrighted works ultimately bear the responsibility for complying with the law and any permissions, licenses or other agreements granting a right to use a work. Violation of a holder’s rights in a copyrighted work may result in statutory or other damages, fines, or more severe penalties.

The university may require the presentation of proof that permission to use a copyrighted work, as planned, had been obtained. The university reserves the right to bar the showing of a film, playing of music, or other use of a copyrighted work if there are reasonable concerns that the showing, playing, or use may violate the rights of the holder of the copyright.

Fair Use

Generally, fair use is any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and “transformative” purpose. (“Copying” can mean both creating a physical copy of a work or an excerpt of it, or inserting a work or excerpts of it into another work.) The most common recognized “transformative” purposes are commentary, criticism, and parody.  Whether or not a student organization’s use of copyrighted work falls within the boundaries of fair use is determined by weighing several factors.

As a general rule, student organizations should not assume fair use applies to any copyrightable work that they desire to use. All student organizations should consult with their advisor before using any copyrighted material to determine whether appropriate permissions have been obtained or whether fair use applies.

Public Domain and Creative Commons

In general, U.S. copyright for anything created in 1978 or later lasts for the life of the author plus seventy years after the author’s death; at which point the work becomes part of the public domain. Works are also in the public domain if they were created in 1927 or earlier. Any copyrightable work developed between 1928 and 1977 is subject to an individual assessment on whether it is in the public domain. When something is in the public domain, the work is owned by the public and organizations do not need to seek permission to use it. There are many places online to find books, images, audio, and videos in the public domain, including:

• Project Gutenberg: 60,000+ eBooks that can be downloaded
• Metropolitan Museum of Art: includes more than 400,000 images from The Met collection.
• Smithsonian Institution Public Domain Images: a collection of 3,000+ images housed on Flickr.
• Prelinger Archives: thousands of public domain films (advertising, educational, industrial, and amateur).

A creator can also place a Creative Commons license on their work. Creative Commons licenses are free copyright licenses that creators can use to indicate how they would like their work to be used. Creators can choose from a set of six licenses with varying permissions and restrictions. You can find Creative Commons-licensed content at search.creativecommons.org. You can also utilize a Google Advanced Search to filter by usage rights. Learn more about the different Creative Commons Licenses here. 

Common Copyright Situations (Images, Music, Films/Movies)

Each use of a copyrighted work raises unique questions. See below for common situations in which a student organization may need to obtain permission from a copyright owner. Note that this is not an all-inclusive list and student organizations are ultimately responsible for ensuring compliance with copyright laws. Student organizations should speak with their advisor for assistance on any copyright questions.

Images

Most photographs/images are copyrighted, and their use is subject to copyright restrictions. Student organizations must only utilize images for which they have confirmed permission either because the image is in the public domain, a Creative Commons license exists, or a license was obtained directly from the copyright owner.

Music Licensing

GW has agreements with the four main Performance Right Organizations (PROs). These agreements allow organizations to play or perform music at university events and functions on campus at no additional cost. Check the music catalogs with these companies before playing music at your events. GW’s music licenses do not cover music posted by its community members on the web or social media.

Visit the Licensing and Trademark Programs Music Licensing website for more information. Email ltpgwu [dot] edu with questions.

Films and Movies

Films and movies can be played publicly only with a proper license. Generally, no film or movie rental, purchase, or stream carries the right to exhibit it outside an individual’s home. See Showing TV Shows, Movies, & Other Films in the Events section of this Handbook for more information.