Would using an image from Microsoft clip art infringe on any copyright laws if I use it as my business logo?

Question

I plan to register my company as an LLC, but am afraid that I cannot use the clipart that I found at Microsoft Online... which would be devistating to me because it is perfect. Help!

Answer 1

Microsoft owns the clip and it cannot be validly used by others for a business logo.

Answer 2

Why not? Everyone in the "true artistic community" will not agree. There has always been controversy here, especially about photography as an art form, but not for me. I don't have the right words maybe, but human senses and emotions allow for all kinds of art forms - I can look at mud splatter with a few leaves artfully stuck to it and see a wonderful image. With negatives, too. I spent time being obsessed with the negative image of people, places, and things. I would shoot in Kodachrome or other reversal film, and print the negative of it in my darkroom at home. Then, maybe, alter chemistry, splash with liquids found around the house, even apply liquid emulsion with different "tools" to a miriad of objects and print on that. Experimenting produced some really unique images. These days, with my little digital camera and my pc at home, I am making ART again. Altering photographs is exciting to me, in the darkroom, with dyes, and now on the computer. As a newbie to earning a living with photography (years ago,) I wanted to do it all, and got a job in a pro lab making and developing copy negs. Then to retouching and make-ready, making multi-exposure negs for ad work, printing, and dye transfer - all by hand then. Finally working my way up and out into the studio. Now, I can take a photograph from idea to finished in several different forms, but I'm still learning about digital enhancement. How I would love to find a free Photo Shop download! Yes, it all qualifies as photographic art to me, Doc. I have been out of the business for 12 years now, and whether there is a distinction between altered photographic art and, say, portraiture, I can only guess. I hope my friend titou finds this - he will give you a much more in-depth answer than I can. And I like your photograph - I saw it last night at a friend's, but cannot access that site on this library computer to look at it again. Youtube, yes; Art, no. Go figure. lol

Answer 3

"The Microsoft Clip Art Gallery provides a compilation of artwork for your personal use. Microsoft licenses some of the artwork from third parties and therefore cannot grant permission for you to redistribute the artwork. For more information on the terms of use, refer to the End User License Agreement (EULA) that accompanied the product from which you obtained the clip art. If you obtained the artwork from Office Online, you can find the EULA at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX100667421033.aspx.



Many other product EULAs are available at http://www.microsoft.com/legal/useterms/.



The following guidelines apply to the use of clip art:



1. You may use clip art in your school assignments and projects.



2. You may use clip art in your church brochure.



3. You may use clip art for personal, noncommercial uses.



4. You may not use clip art to advertise your business.



5. You may not use clip art to create a company logo.



6. You may not use clip art to illustrate the chapters of a book."

Answer 4

Even if it was legal, I wouldn't suggest using it as a logo. That's just cheap. Get a real designer, or at least do something a little more original than clipart. ;]

I just suggest doing something similar so you don't just have to reinvent your logo.