American Airlines Taking Government Agency to Court

Image: PHOTO: Female American Airlines pilot with logo background. (photo courtesy of American Airlines)

by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:05 AM ET, Wed October 17, 2018

American Airlines has filed a lawsuit against the United States Copyright Office after the agency refused to grant copyright protections for the carrier's logo.

According to The Dallas Morning News, the battle between the two sides has raged since the copyright office claimed the American logo adopted in 2013 wasn't deemed creative enough to deserve its own copyright.

While the designer of the American logo, Futurebrand, won awards for the airline's rebranding, the copyright office claims the design is "exceedingly common" and lacks the originality needed to warrant protection.

As a result of three previously thwarted attempts to copyright its logo, American has filed a federal complaint in the U.S. District Court Northern District of Texas, claiming the design "easily possesses the modicum of creativity necessary to qualify for copyright protection,"

Despite not being protected by copyright laws, American's logo has been approved as a registered trademark. The copyright office has not filed a response to the lawsuit.

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American Airlines Airlines and Airports United States North America

Donald Wood

Managing Editor

Donald Wood is TravelPulse’s Managing Editor, bringing nearly 15 years of experience to the desk. He currently lives outside Philadelphia with his wife and two children.