Q. Can we upload student work to our website if they have well known trademarks and logos within the projects?

To be cautious, you should avoid the unauthorized use of trademarks in any official school publication or website. Brand names, word marks, and logos are protected by the Trademarks Act, which does not have any educational exceptions.

The Trademarks Act prohibits:

• Unauthorized use of a registered trademark in association with any wares, services, or business.
• The use of any trademark in a manner that is likely to depreciate the goodwill associated with the mark.

If a student project uses a registered trademark in a way that causes reasonable confusion about the association of Seneca with the brand that a trademark represents, it could be an infringement of the Trademarks Act.

Trademark holders are often very litigious because a trademark has to be vigorously defended if the trademark holder wishes to keep the trademark registered. And unlike copyright, trademarks never expire as long they are continually used. 

If you have any questions or concerns about copyright, please contact the Copyright Team at theservicehub@senecapolytechnic.ca.