Are call letters copyrighted?

[Lisa_Wheeler]

It's been a long time since broadcasting 101.

Who "owns" call letters? Is there a copyright law covering who
can use call letters, and for what purpose?

The reason I ask - I have a friend who wants to start a tribute site to a radio station.
If he calls it MemoriesofXXXX.com - is this fair use?

Thanks in advance!

 

[nolaradiobuff]

Lisa - The answer is Yes and No.

Call letters aren't automatically trademarked. However, individual stations can trademark/servicemark their call letters/slogans, etc.

I'd check first with the State Secretary of State. They should have an online database that you can search for servicemarks, tradenames, etc.

The other avenue would be to reach out to the station owner. Tell them it's a tribute site and not meant as anything negative. They might like the idea and provide your friend with a wealth of information, airchecks, photos, and more.

 

[DarkStarPDX]

In my "this is not a legal opinion" opinion, call letters are a statement of fact by a licensing authority (the FCC), thus cannot be individually registered as a trademark or servicemark. The call letters in combination of a slogan or other info probably can be, but definitely not on their own.

 

[justula]

Call letters aren't automatically trademarked. However, individual stations can trademark/servicemark their call letters/slogans, etc.

I've heard radio stations make 3- and 4-word slogans from their call letters,
the same way TLA stands for
Three Letter Abbreviations,
Three Letter Acronyms.

Then they put a registration symbol throughout their literature and promos where that slogan appears, e.g., Web sites, bumper stickers, T-shirts, etc.