Theos-Talk Archives (October 2003 Message tt00293)

In a message dated 10/22/03 3:14:15 AM, bartl@sprynet.com writes:

>leonmaurer@aol.com wrote:
>> In a message dated 10/20/03 1:43:47 PM, morya_est@yahoo.co.in writes:
>>>Legal complain in the FBI against Radha Burnier crime, is signed:
>>>Number: I02062014121585.
>> 
>> Why would the FBI be interested? What's the crime? The copyright (if 
there 
>> ever was one) on the seal of the Theosophical Society ran out over a
>100 years 
>> ago. 
>
> You can't copyright a symbol. You CAN trademark a symbol, and it's in
>effect as long as its defended. As it has not been, it has since lapsed
>into the public domain. Morya_est, on the other hand, has been reported
>to Yahoo's abuse department.

Symbols can only be trademarked for commercial use. But, you can copyright a 
design as a work of art. If HPB drew the original design on a piece of 
paper, it could be copyrighted without any need to register it. All that is needed 
is a statement of date and author along with the word or symbol "copyright." 
Anyone making a facsimile of it during the life of the author plus a specified 
number of years afterward would be in violation of copyright, and could be 
sued. This would normally only happen if the copy was used commercially without 
permission or payment to the author. But, in any event, it could never be a 
case for the FBI.