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Can Someone Cut-And-Paste Your Logo?

Posted: 1:22 pm PDT October 9, 2007Updated: 5:33 pm PDT October 9, 2007

KIRO 7 has learned that it's so easy to cut and paste online that someone can claim you as a business partner -- without you even knowing it.

It's not legal, but as Consumer Investigator Amy Clancy uncovered, it happened to KIRO 7.

On the Web sites mystreyalgame.com and TVnetauction.com you can find all sorts of things to buy online, such as clothing and collectibles.

And the sites even promise you'll see these for-sale items live on KIRO-TV.

"There we are. We are planning to host our first annual remote live broadcasting event in Seattle, include your business in our line-up, and there you see the KIRO tag. And special events will include live television broadcasting, KIRO-TV 7, KIRO-TV. We will see you soon in our new site location," said Troy Breitmeyer, who contacted KIRO-TV.

Troy Breitmeyer -- who calls himself a "netrepreneur" -- thought the claims were odd, especially since he says his former landlord, Quanita Schweinler, was the one who posted the sites claiming a business relationship with KIRO.

"That was an affiliation that gave her credibility," Breitmeyer said.

So KIRO 7 sent an undercover producer to Schweinler's Lakewood home-based business.

"On the bathroom wall, there was a poster with KIRO-TV on it that was talking about some type of auction that was going to be covered live," said Brian Doerflinger, KIRO 7 Producer-Photographer.

Then, we went to see what Schweinler is selling.

"These are the collectibles," said Schweinler, holding up a doll. "Shoes, just mounds and mounds of shoes."

Schweinler said her online business is just getting off the ground.

Clancy: "You're using the kiro logo and our name on your Web site. Did anybody give you permission for that?"
Schweinler: "The KIRO logo on the ...? I don't think it's still on the…"
Clancy: "It's on tvnetauction."
Schweinler: "It's still on there? Oh, ok."
Clancy: "Who gave you permission to use it, because that's copyrighted."
Schweinler: "No one did."

Schweinler said more than five years ago she contacted KIRO about buying ad time.

But never did.

KIRO's sales manager said "there is no business relationship" with Schweinler and that "no one has authorized her to use KIRO's copyrighted logo." But lawyer Lisa Oratz, who specializes in copyright and technology law, said it's so easy to basically cut and paste a logo on-line that -- even though it's illegal -- it happens all the time.

"If you're trying to pass yourself off as somebody that's connected, or there's some sort of sponsorship or affiliation with that company, that's where you can get into trouble if you don't have permission to do that," Oratz said.

Clancy: "So you admit that you're using our name to lend your business some credibility?"
Schweinler: "Yeah, I guess that is true."

Schweinler said she'd take all mention of KIRO off her Web sites, and it appears she has.

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