: Can I use a famous or "patented" color on my projects? Can I use on my layouts a color that is patented by a company? Let's say that a company logo uses the CMYK value 45 10 26 5 and

@RJPawlick971

It doesn't so much matter what we think about it, but rather what the lawyer of the company who have trademarked the color think.

So, for starters, note that you can't patent a color in the US. You can trademark a particular use of a color, however. This is typically called trade dress.

And said trade dress can be protected, but not necessarily the color in and of itself. In other words, Owens Corning can own the color pink, but only in the world of building products. If you want to come out with a fiberglass insulation product that is pink, they'll probably sue you. On the other hand, if you're coming out with pink pancake batter, there's likely no confusion in the marketplace and you're good to go.

There is no hard-and-fast rule about this, but in general, if your use of color appears to be an attempt and creating confusion in the marketplace for the consumer, then that is when you've crossed the line into trademark infringement.

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