Why does Apple logo get censored on TV?

pigoo3 said:

Of course for certain products that are very seasonal or date specific...then companies will "dump" most of their advertising budget in a short time. Such as Valentines Day, Easter, Christmas, etc.

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... the Super Bowl

Raz0rEdge said:

No brand is going to sue a show/movie for showcasing their products. .........

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This is actually not always true..

There are a few sports cars like Ferrari that I can not take photos of and sale without getting approval from and signing a legal licensing agreement with Ferrari..

That said if something happens on the set or the show gets a bad rap that showcases a popular brand without a written agree meant in some shape or form can lead to a legal lawsuit for damaging that brands image..

Which is also why I am converting my business over to a LLC, Limited Liability Corp.

I ran this by a professor of law at the university. I don't think he has ever watched a TV show in his lifetime, but his take on it as a generic question is...

Realizing that, in the US with our somewhat asinine civil system, while you can sue a person for having dyed hair if it offends you, bringing such a lawsuit does not usually equal winning the lawsuit.

A company has no legal standing to prohibit the generic display of their logo, if the product is displayed in a normal setting. i.e., you can publish a video on YouTube on how to program While Loops in Perl, and the fact that your MacBook's glowing apple is visible in full glory does not violate copyright or trademark laws. That is like the "you have no expectation of privacy in public" type of situation where someone's camera sees you entering the adult video shop.

(I decoded this as sort of a "fair use" for cameras. And I sure hope he is right. I make lots of programming videos that I post online and I brag about my Apple in them.)

Merely showing a logo in a video is not a breach of trademark or copyright. If it were, then Hollywood could never use a camera in public. If it were a breach, then Joe's Cajun Tacos could sue because his sign was shown in two frames during the high speed car chase. And so could every other business up and down the street, from the start of the shootout until the bad guys get their comeuppance at the end of the chase.

(And in my amateur opinion, I have absolutely no doubt that there are many lawyers who would jump at the chance to bill a blockbuster movie for showing their client's sign without permission.)

Again, even inside shots that showed a stray Dr. Pepper can, a bag of Planters peanuts, or suchlike could start a chain of legal problems. For that matter, what if you take a picture of your kid's birthday party at the playground of McDonalds. Do you owe them money because the twin arches in your snapshots? How about that coke can that your child is holding? What happens when it shows up in public on Facebook?

According to the Broadcasting and Cable magazine, it is now business as usual for a production company to approach a corporation with the offer to showcase their products. For money, of course. And if they refuse, then their logo will be covered or blanked out if the item is necessary for the movie/TV video, but most often, another product from a more amenable company is used.

But, once again in the practical aspects, and harking back to our freedom to sue for anything, a deep pocket corporation can destroy a smaller company, even if the suit has no merit, and it has been thrown out by the courts multiple times. Even a state with SLAPP suit laws can sometimes only partially protect the victim.

...END of professional opinion...

So, (my opinion again) some of the product blurring may just be from legal advice from their lawyers.

Exactly. Better safe than sorry (lawyer advice). Companies have "deep pockets". Lawsuits can be tied up in the courts for years & years. Big companies can afford to spend millions & millions of dollars in legal fees…but the folks/companies that they are being sued cannot afford this.

If the average TV show or movie showed every company logo they wanted (without being blurred)…the next day they might have 10, 20, or more company lawyers knocking on their door with legal papers suing them (this would be for just one TV episode or one movie).

Each of those lawsuits could cost millions of dollars…thus multiply that by 10, 20, etc. Then multiply this by the number of episodes each TV show air's. As you can see…this can add up to some BIG BIG bucks.

In business (which TV show & movies area)…it's MUCH better to be safe than sorry. The cost/risk of showing non-approved company logos…just isn't worth it.

- Nick

Calling Randy B Singer, This is your Bread and Butter, Randy are you out there ??

I guess one can assume that any un-blurred logos are very likely product placements. (Or somebody has not been paying attention).

Last I read, Apple doesn't pay for product placement. Ever. I think that, in the cases where the logo is covered, the show may have a sponsor whose products overlap, so they are obligated to not show the Apple logo out of respect (and contractual obligation) to that sponsor. Samsung made demands that the athletes in the 2014 Olympics cover logos on their personal iPhones for just that reason.

I was watching one of the major TV news channels here in the US today...and as the camera was zooming out on one of the newscasters...a MacBook Pro (with the Apple logo clearly visible) started coming into view on the newscasters desktop.

Once the zooming-out stopped...the camera person slowly panned from left to right...which suspiciously took the Apple logo out of view...but you could still see the newscaster fine.

- Nick

lifeisabeach said:

Samsung made demands that the athletes in the 2014 Olympics cover logos on their personal iPhones for just that reason.

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What a joke that was, but here in Aust they made a news reel of all the Aussie Athletes flaunting the Apple Logo near Samsung signs and was quite funny actually. Was on youtube, but can't seen to find it now. . .

Let's not forget "Scottie" talking to a Macintosh computer in one the older Star Trek movies some years ago. And I don't know how many times I've seen MacBook Pros being used by newscasters on TV. Fox ran a special some time back where the announcer clearly was using a MacBook Pro all during the time he was narrating, and that particular show ran for an hour.

First, I like Van said, have seen many brands with a cover over the logo. Dell for one besides Apple.

Second, I have seen probably more Apple products in movies than any other brand. The Net with Sandra Bullock is all Macs. Hackers is mostly Apple. I can go on all night. One more I love, Anti Trust is clearly using some apple. the interface and one notebook in the garage.

I totally agree...Apple's all over the place in hollywood

chscag said:

Let's not forget "Scottie" talking to a Macintosh computer in one the older Star Trek movies some years ago. ....

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LOL my favorite movie of all time...

Scotty: Computer, hello computer..
Manager: ...you will have to use the keyboard..
Scotty: How quant!


Other best quote ever..

McCoy: So your telling me I have to die before I can discuss life and death with you?!
Spock: You will have to excuse me doctor, I am getting a number of distress calls.
McCoy: I don't doubt it!