Is it possible to use a stock image as a logo?

You can find hundreds of stock images that directly or indirectly suggest that they can be used as a logo. At the same time, the official documentation of almost all stocks states that stock images cannot be used as logos from a legal point of view.

Why, then, do the authors upload logos to stocks? Let's figure it out.

When a stock officially states that an image purchased from a stock cannot be used as a logo, it means that such an image cannot be registered as a trade mark.

Only a unique image can be a trademark. The trademark owner must own all rights to the mark. The owner of a trademark can prevent everyone else from using his mark.

Images on stocks are mostly sold under a royalty-free license, which involves the use of the same image by different users for their own purposes. That is, when buying an image on stock, you cannot prevent other buyers of this image from using it, and you cannot prevent the author of the image from selling it and making similars.

From this follows the logical conclusions:

Can I register a stock image as a trademark? No.

Can I use a stock image as a logo? Yes, as long as you don't need all the rights to the image and don't plan to trademark it.

If you are a large company that produces steamboat aircraft, then it makes sense for you to order a logo from a designer and buy out all the rights to this image. So the designer will no longer be able to sell this image, to make imitations out of it. And you will be sure that your logo is unique.

If you need a logo for a small website, blog, creative circle, group in social networks, a small regional event, feel free to take the logo on stocks.

But what about buying the rights to a stock image?

On stocks, it is possible to buy the rights to the image. If the author agrees to this deal, then he needs to remove the image from all stocks on which it is sold and no longer use this image in other works and do not make his similariae.

In this case, you still cannot register the image as a trademark. Because it could have been sold many times before the rights were bought out. Buying the rights to an image does not cancel its previous royalty-free purchases.

Should I upload stock images that can be used as a logo?

Each author decides this question for himself. If the image is new conceptual and can be sold as a full-fledged logo with all rights, it is better not to upload it to stocks.

If the logo remained from the options not accepted by the customer, was used in many similarities and patterns, feel free to upload such an image to stocks so that the good does not disappear.

If you have any questions or clarifications on the topic of buying a logo on stocks, I invite you to continue the discussion in the comments.