Falling foul of copyright

Ask permission . Rather ask than fall foul of copyright laws .

Ask the club - a little bit of explanation to them would probably help.

You might be able to claim exemption under fair use. A quick google turned up the following. <h2 id="sufficient-acknowledgement" style="margin: 45px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: none; font-size: 27px; font-family: nta, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.11111; font-weight: 700; text-transform: none; color: rgb(11, 12, 12); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Sufficient acknowledgement</h2>In relation to certain exceptions, if you are making use of that exception to copy someone else’s work it is necessary for you to sufficiently acknowledge their work. For example, where you have copied all or a substantial part of a work for the purposes of criticism or review, or where the use was for the purposes of news reporting.However such acknowledgement is not required where it is impossible for reasons of practicality.<h2 id="fair-dealing" style="margin: 45px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; border: none; font-size: 27px; font-family: nta, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.11111; font-weight: 700; text-transform: none; color: rgb(11, 12, 12); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Fair dealing</h2>Certain exceptions only apply if the use of the work is a ‘fair dealing’. For example, the exceptions relating to research and private study, criticism or review, or news reporting.‘Fair dealing’ is a legal term used to establish whether a use of copyright material is lawful or whether it infringes copyright. There is no statutory definition of fair dealing - it will always be a matter of fact, degree and impression in each case. The question to be asked is: how would a fair-minded and honest person have dealt with the work?Factors that have been identified by the courts as relevant in determining whether a particular dealing with a work is fair include:<ul style="list-style: disc outside; border: none; margin: 20px 0px 20px 20px; padding: 0px; font-family: nta, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 400; text-transform: none; font-size: 19px; line-height: 1.31579; color: rgb(11, 12, 12); font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;"><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;">does using the work affect the market for the original work? If a use of a work acts as a substitute for it, causing the owner to lose revenue, then it is not likely to be fair</li><li style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px;">is the amount of the work taken reasonable and appropriate? Was it necessary to use the amount that was taken? Usually only part of a work may be used</li></ul>The relative importance of any one factor will vary according to the case in hand and the type of dealing in question.

As you are planning to exhibit the works (which will include [ blatant ] copy of the logo) to an audience it is most doubtful you could argue Fair Dealing. I would most strongly advocate that you seek permission and I am sure that if the club is prepared to consider granting it they will first require sight of the artwork and will attach their own conditions on the way it is displayed. They might well be more disposed to grant permission if the exhibition will be supporting a charitable cause. Without permission you are putting yourself at risk as commercial bodies jealously guard their logos and how they are used. Fair Dealing is more addressed towards personal use such as private research, and personal development and whilst each case rests on its own merits it does not usually extend to include public display or personal gain.

There are several ways you could argue fair dealing... firstly that there is no loss of revenue incurred on the club, secondly that the exhibit is for educational purposes, review and news (if it illustrates the history of the club some of these may apply) and thirdly if you acknowledge that the logo is a trademark owned by the club and is reproduced for illustrative purposes and not for profit. I agree though that you may save yourself trouble if you just get permission...

The logo is probably registered as a Trade Mark. Licensing the logo to use in a painting or series of paintings should be easy enough. An exchange of e-mails with the Club secretary will get the ball rolling (b'dummm tsssh) and might be all you need. It might not even cost you anything to do that, but do get it in writing. But If you don't get that consent in advance, and you make money out of the exhibition (a commission from someone who's seen the exhibition for example) then it might cost you more than you make fighting the Trade Mark Infringement lawsuits plus the financial compensation you might have to pay the club. It's your choice.

Having worked in these matters in my professional life may I make the point that simply reproducing and displaying a logo can get you into trouble regardless of financial issues and any possible revenue loss. Fair dealing is most unlikely to come into play if you are putting the works on public display. As I said above commercial bodies can be very touchy about what could in their view be bringing their copyright material (whether or not it is a registered trademark) into disrepute. The only good advice is to get consent first - this may be relatively easy if it is a small club but not so easy, if not impossible, if it is one of the big players.