Those Pesky Rules!

What better way to incorporate your personality into your wedding then with a cake of something you love!  R2D2, your college logo, your favorite childhood cartoon character!  They would all certainly be crowd pleasers!  However, there is a catch.  What's the catch you say?  That little C at the corner with the circle around it.  That little C means the creators have copyrighted their image.  That also means that neither myself nor any other baker can legally reproduce their image without written consent.  I get disappointed customers all the time because of this. 

Many try to argue about it because they really want the image on their cake.  Understandable.  However, I have chosen to run my business with integrity.  Therefore, if someone has taken the time to copyright their image I want to respect them enough to honor their request.  I would rather lose the business of that customer then compromise my moral integrity and bend the rules for the sake of profit. 

Many say they see photos of the copyrighted image they want all over the internet.  That means it could be one of three things.  One, it was somebody who made the cake for someone as a gift and there was no money exchanged.  If you are not recreating the image for profit you can use their image.  Two, they got permission from the company.  Or three, they did it illegally.

So, does that mean that you can't have your school logo on your grooms cake?  Certainly not!  All it takes is an email to their marketing department requesting the use of their image.  They are usually quick to respond with permission and sometimes some guidelines as well.  Most companies and organizations are thrilled that you like their image so much that you want to use it in your wedding!  However, there are some companies that want their images to stay within their company and that decision needs to be respected as well.  If you are considering doing this for your wedding, don't wait until the last minute.  Sometimes they can take a while to respond, so it's best you get that written permission as soon as possible!!!

Happy Wedding Planning!