Since we're on the topic of copyrights, I have a somewhat related question for the gurus.
I know that, theoretically, a production is supposed to obtain permission from a company to feature their trademark. There are, however, many noteworthy exceptions, most recently the Oscar-winning animated short Logorama, which sets an encouraging precedent. Prior to that was The Coca-Cola Kid (one of my favorite movies).
In my current project we used several brand name products in the course of the movie, but usually took care that the logo wasn't featured front and center; e.g., a close-up of a beer bottle on a table was angled so that the label was only partially visible; an insert of a cell phone being dialed was shot such that the manufacturer's logo was upside down and at an angle.
There were, however, many scenes shot in a tavern. Since we used real, working business, there were, of course, neon signs and product posters hanging everywhere. The most blatant and distracting ones were taken down for the shoot, but there were too many to remove them all, and the walls would've looked silly bare. Also, in the scenes where the bartender is featured in close-up, the liquor bottle brands are clearly visible on the rack in the background. It seemed silly and potentially distracting to turn them all away from view, since they wouldn't be arranged that way in a real bar, so we left them. You can also clearly see the VISA and MasterCard stickers by the cash register.
My question is, does anyone have an example of a legal disclaimer I might include in the end credits to deal with this. I've seen them before, along the lines of "products featured in this film are not intended to endorse..." blah blah.
And/or is this the best way to deal with it?
I know that, theoretically, a production is supposed to obtain permission from a company to feature their trademark. There are, however, many noteworthy exceptions, most recently the Oscar-winning animated short Logorama, which sets an encouraging precedent. Prior to that was The Coca-Cola Kid (one of my favorite movies).
In my current project we used several brand name products in the course of the movie, but usually took care that the logo wasn't featured front and center; e.g., a close-up of a beer bottle on a table was angled so that the label was only partially visible; an insert of a cell phone being dialed was shot such that the manufacturer's logo was upside down and at an angle.
There were, however, many scenes shot in a tavern. Since we used real, working business, there were, of course, neon signs and product posters hanging everywhere. The most blatant and distracting ones were taken down for the shoot, but there were too many to remove them all, and the walls would've looked silly bare. Also, in the scenes where the bartender is featured in close-up, the liquor bottle brands are clearly visible on the rack in the background. It seemed silly and potentially distracting to turn them all away from view, since they wouldn't be arranged that way in a real bar, so we left them. You can also clearly see the VISA and MasterCard stickers by the cash register.
My question is, does anyone have an example of a legal disclaimer I might include in the end credits to deal with this. I've seen them before, along the lines of "products featured in this film are not intended to endorse..." blah blah.
And/or is this the best way to deal with it?
