[Robotgroup] Robot Group Logo.. is it ours??

brooksdesign brooksdesign at peoplepc.com
Sat Sep 2 06:31:27 PDT 2006 

I luv the co....er a ..clock idea ,maybe another product for Cafe' press .
-brooks

-----Original Message-----
>From: Glenn <kd5mfw at texas.net>
>Sent: Sep 1, 2006 11:24 PM
>To: Austin Robotgroup Mailing List <robotgroup at puremagic.com>
>Subject: Re: [Robotgroup] Robot Group Logo.. is it ours??
>
>A little info about the RG logo ...
>
>Over 10 years ago I came up with the idea for the RG logo.
>I worked with Norm, who took my description and drew several variations 
>of the logo.
>
>I picked one, paid him a token fee and donated the logo to The Robot 
>Group Inc.
>The artwork on the early T-shirts we had made was marked with a 
>copyright for
>The Robot Group Inc.
>
>The logo is a variation on the "Vitruvian Man" drawn by Leonardo Da 
>Vinci about 1492.
>
>See:
>
>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitruvian_man
>
>for "prior art".
>
>Leonardo was making notes on the work of the Roman architect Vitruvis, 
>so his work was
>somewhat derivative as well.  Vitruvis lived about 70 - 25 BC.  His work 
>may not have been
>completely original either, as the divine proportion had been used by 
>the Greeks, and the Romans
>ripped off a lot of stuff from the Greeks - more prior art.
>
>One of the points that Vitruvis was trying to make was that, to be 
>pleasing to humans, buildings
>should incorporate the same ratios and proportions of the human body, in 
>his opinion.
>
>Leonardo was a perfect example of the combination of art and 
>technology.  As he did his apprenticeship
>in an art studio/shop, he started out by collecting the materials needed 
>to make paints and all the other
>tools and materials used by artist of his time.  He had to master all 
>the technical side of doing art before
>becoming a master artist - ace the technical stuff, then move on from 
>there. 
>
>The idea that art and technology are on opposite ends of some scale, is 
>a popular idea with some,
>that fail to grasp the big picture.
>
>With the RG logo, the idea was to sharpen the focus on the harmony 
>between art and technology,
>that has always been a core concept of the group.
>
>It is very difficult to copyright artwork.  If the image is altered, in 
>any way, then it becomes more
>difficult to win a fight in U.S. courts.  I have donated about $5,000.00 
>in lawyer fees, over the years,
>for The Robot Group Inc.  A lawyer can answer questions, and provide 
>informed opinions, but cannot
>ever really guarantee what a court will decide - and it is an expensive 
>game to play.  It would be trivial to
>spend > $20,000.00 just to give it a try in legally defending the logo.  
>You can ask about the difference
>between a registered trademark and a logo too - take something to drink 
>and find a comfortable chair.
>
>I understand wanting to protect the logo.  I truly appreciate the idea.  
>The group really does not have
>the funds to support a real legal challenge, unfortunately.
>
>Only big companies that invest millions of dollars in promoting their 
>logos or trademarks, can justify the expense of
>defending them.
>
>I suggest a nice note to those who honor Leonardo and Vitruvis, and 
>spend the money on robots, or beer.
>
>Something much more interesting - to some, may be a type of "Easter Egg" 
>in the RG logo.
>
>You see, anyone that does a variation on Leonardo's Vitruvian Man, must 
>make a key decision -
>what do you do about the penis?  Leo was an artist, and drew it as he 
>saw it - uncircumcised and all.
>
>Norm and I discussed a Vitruvian watch face, using the arms for minutes 
>and hours, and the more central
>"limb", as a second hand.  Anyone for a RG analogue watch? A real weenie 
>flipper.
>
>So invite you to take a close look at the RG logo to see the solution 
>Norm and I settled on -
>then take a look at all the other variations of the Vitruvian Man you 
>can find - and see what
>decisions others made.
>
>I remember seeing an IEEE Visa card with a version of the drawing - 
>minus penis... what does it all mean?
>
>Happy egg hunting!
>
>-Glenn
>
>
>
>brooksdesign wrote:
>> I ran into Norm at the HEB a while back and have his # somewhere ,I'll look for it and forward it to Mike later .
>> -brooks
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>>   
>>> From: vkonradi <vkonradi at swbell.net>
>>> Sent: Sep 1, 2006 2:52 PM
>>> To: Austin Robotgroup Mailing List <robotgroup at puremagic.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [Robotgroup] Robot Group Logo.. is it ours??
>>>
>>> I recall that Glenn thought up the logo theme and commissioned Norm to draw it.  Its first usage was probably on the Pulse letterhead.
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----
>>> From: Vern Graner <vern at txis.com>
>>> To: vkonradi <vkonradi at swbell.net>; Austin Robotgroup Mailing List <robotgroup at puremagic.com>
>>> Sent: Friday, September 1, 2006 12:46:27 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Robotgroup] Robot Group Logo.. is it ours??
>>>
>>>
>>> vkonradi wrote:
>>>     
>>>> Oh, and given how much the RG logo is a derivative work in itself, would it really be appropriate to argue?
>>>>       
>>> My concern is that someone might come after *us*, so in order to make 
>>> sure the logo is "ours" did we need to take any steps to insure no one 
>>> could take it from us.
>>>
>>> I still don't know *exactly* who made the logo, how it was made, what 
>>> copyrights (if any) pertain to it... I'm curious to know if it *really* 
>>> ours...?
>>>
>>> Vern
>>>
>>> -- 
>>> Vern Graner CNE/CNA/SSE    | "If the network is down, then you're
>>> Senior Systems Engineer    | obviously incompetent so why are we
>>> Texas Information Services | paying you? Of course, if the network
>>> http://www.txis.com        | is up, then we obviously don't need
>>> Austin Office 512 328-8947 | you, so why are we paying you?" İVLG
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
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>>>     
>>
>>
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>>   
>
>
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