Trademark Fair Use

You asked your legal, copyright, and trademark questions, and Jean has answered! All questions are culled from the comments section attached to the original ‘Ask Jean’ post. We invite you to ask more questions. Hi Jean, I’m a graphic designer who has recently done some campaign work for a local (county) race. The initials of the client are M.M. and this person desperately wanted to include some M&M candy type reference in the campaign materials. The final design includes a quarter-circle with a slab-serif lowercase m (not the actual M&M typeface, but similar), stuck up in the corner. It’s not the main image, but it is there. Is this ok under trademark law? I *think* so since it’s not really a commercial use, but can’t find a definitive answer anywhere. Thanks! Raymond Dear Raymond, The reason it’s hard to find a definitive... [read full story]