The Problem With Branded Custom Cornhole Boards
We are constantly getting requests to make branded custom cornhole boards for our customers. Here is a list of such requests just in the past couple of months:
- Custom Yeti Cornhole Game
- Custom Coke Cornhole Game
- Custom Camaro Cornhole Game
- Custom Ford 150 Cornhole Game
- Custom Finding Nemo Cornhole Game
- Custom Breaking Bad Cornhole Game
- Custom Caddyshack Cornhole Board
These are great ideas and we would love to produce them…but just because you can source a high quality logo or image for your favorite brand does not mean you or we are legally allowed to produce them as branded custom cornhole boards. Here are a few things you need to know about using branded images or logos for your custom cornhole board.
Understanding Trademark Law
In this day and age, it’s beyond easy to go to Google, type in your favorite brand’s logo, and have a few thousand images pop up. All you have to do is right click, save to your desktop, and boom—the logo is all yours to do with whatever you’d like, right? Actually, no.
Whenever you take a trademarked image, words, logo, design or phrase and reproduce it without consent, you’re in violation of trademark law. Trademark generally protects a brand’s logo, designs, and tagline from reuse or reproduction. A company has gone to great lengths to protect their property, which is why, should you (or Cornhole Worldwide!) use it without permission, you could be facing a lawsuit, heavy fines, and even jail time.
What is Copyright?
Copyright is like trademark except that it specifically protects artistic works, like books, movies, TV shows, etc. And the consequences of using copyrighted items without permission are equally steep. Copyright infringement can cost you anywhere from $200 to $150,000 depending on the gravity of the infringement, not to mention what you’ll owe for damages and lawyer fees. Yikes!
When to Use Logos on Your Custom Cornhole Board
Generally, we will not use trademarked or copyrighted logos, images, phrases, etc., unless we have permission from the owner of the trademark or copyright to do so. This generally requires licensing, fees, and royalties, which is why we don’t produce branded custom cornhole boards often. So while a Finding Nemo custom cornhole board is an adorable idea for your son’s 5th birthday party, unfortunately we can’t use any of Disney’s copyrighted images without their permission. If you DO have permission from the owner of the trademark or the copyright, then we can talk!
So What Should You Do?
Instead of requesting a branded custom cornhole board, it’s time to let your imagination run wild with an idea of your own! Here at Cornhole Worldwide, we have a team of amazing graphic designers who can bring any original concept to life on your custom board. We can take a simple nugget of an idea and turn it into something special. Need inspiration? Check out 6 Clever Uses for the “Hole” in a Custom Cornhole Design and How to Create a Custom Family Cornhole Game for some great ideas! When you’re ready, head over to Custom Game Request to submit your idea and get started on your custom board set!
