Famous Logos
Can my book cover contain song lyrics and logos?
There is a painting I made and I want to put on the cover of my self published book. Most is my creation but there is a company logo in it (Gatorade), some pieces of song lyrics and quotes from famous people. Would that be a problem? It is all unsourced in the cover but inside the book I do explain the source of every quote and when I heard them and what they mean to me. I cannot change the painting anymore to include sources, so the question is can I use the painting for the cover or not?
If you use the Gatorade logo, you’re asking them to sue you for copyright and trademark infringement. If any of the lyrics and quotations were written by people who are still alive, or have been dead less than 70 years, you’re asking all of them to sue you for copyright infringement. None of them will care if you credited them, because what’s illegal is using their words without their permission, not pretending the words are yours.
You won’t get permission unless you’re already a well-known author and/or throw a lot of money at them.
In short, put something original on the cover.
EDIT: I really should proofread my answers more carefully… obviously a dead person can’t sue you, but their heirs and their estate can. And under some circumstances, claiming somebody else’s words as your own can be illegal… but crediting the author will not get you off the hook for any infringement.
Famous Logos
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