Logo Court

Overview

Logo Court is a resolution system that aims to resolve Designer disputes through a community vote. Only qualified and experienced members of the community are able to participate.

Case Types

Similar to my logo in this contest

A conflict between two designers in a contest.
If a designer loses this type of a case the prize will be held and an Administrator will review the case for a possible prize split.
The losing designer will be allowed to remain in the contest
The client will not be able to view the Logo Court case and are not notified that it happened.

Similar to an existing logo

A potential similarity with a logo outside of the site
If a designer loses this type of a case all their entries will be removed from the contest.
The client will be able to view the Logo Court case and are notified.

Stockart

The inclusion or similarity to stock art which is against site rules
If a designer loses this type of a case all their entries will be removed from the contest.
The client will be able to view the Logo Court case and are notified.

Trace

This type of case handles images that potentially trace internet content that the designer does not have the rights to
If a designer loses this type of a case all their entries will be removed from the contest.
The client will be able to view the Logo Court case and are notified.

Formatting Rules Violations

Minor formatting rules violation
The defending designer has the ability to withdraw.

Fair Voting

Qualified and Randomized Jury

Designers who have won at least 10 contests and have less than 50 violation points will be able to vote. To avoid voting blocks jurors are selected at random in timed intervals once the case starts.

Supermajority for a judgement

For a designer to lose a case a supermajority vote is required. The supermajority ensures that most designers have a degree of certainty when voting. We feel that a supermajority is a middle road between the rigid requirements of a unanimous decision and the uncertainty of a simple majority vote.

Administrator Review

Upon request our Administrators will review cases that designers or contest holders feel are unfair.

Logo Court Guidelines

If a Designer submits an image that contains elements that are obvious or potential violations of the copyrights of another company a Logo Court may be started to remove such designs so as to protect the designer and the community. A logo court may also be started if their image violates the terms of the site.

Please consider carefully before you create a Logo Court. A poor explanation can result in you losing your request.

If you feel your concept or design has been copied

If you feel your idea or design method is being copied please contact the Designer via direct message. You can also start a thread in the Designer Resolution forum. Do not use names of Designers in the thread title. Be respectful. Provide clear language describing your concern and provide facts with links. Using the forum can avoid unneeded Logo Courts and help you see perspectives you may have overlooked. The comments from others can also help you see if your thoughts have merit.

If you are contacted to remove your design

Please respond professionally. Do not post comments about the Designer in any part of the contest. If you cannot resolve the matter between you and the Designer a Logo Court may be launched.

If you are in a Logo Court

If you are in a Logo Court do not post anything to the client saying you disagree with the other Designer or post anything, especially the username of the Designer, that is designed to gain sympathy for your concern. This includes comments about yourself or others. Posting to gain sympathy can put administration in an unfavourable position, resulting in a bad situation for the community and for the site, and your account may be banned for doing so.

You can tell the Client that you are in a Logo Court dispute because a fellow Designer has concerns about your design. You can tell them to contact Support with any questions.

If you lose a Logo Court decision

If a Designer loses a case, the offending design(s) can be removed and no longer available. It is also possible that all their entries will be removed and they will no longer be able to participate in that particular contest.

Do not post comments to get sympathy from the client - be professional. If you have a problem, contact Support. If the client asks what is happening please ask them to contact Support.

If you lose a Logo Court you may be banned from the site depending on the type of issue.

How to make a good case

Many designers lose the logo court case they start because they incorrectly explain their concern.

In order to get the best result and help the community or Support make the best judgement, please consider the following points when making a Logo Court:

Is the design truly similar?
What exactly is too similar? Explain in clear language.
Are you defending a concept / idea?
Are you defending a method of design?
Are you defending both? (there is a distinct difference between "concept" and "design").
Are you defending font(s)? Common fonts for certain kinds of companies are not protected unless there is editing of the fonts in some unique manner.
Were you ranked high or #1 and feel the designer copied your design (follow the leader)? Was there a significant change in the direction of the offending designer?
Are you defending layout? Common layouts are rarely supported as unique.
Are you defending color? Colors are rarely supported as unique.
Have you reviewed the brief to ensure no comments from the brief indicate a client's preference?
Is your own concept or design "obvious"? Have you used a search engine to type key words along with "logo" to see if common logos are displayed? If they are displayed then your concept or design idea may not be supported.

Fellow designers will want to know your clear answers to these questions in order to make the best decision.