Artistic Violation of Trademark Law?

Vinod Shankar over at IP News Blog posted an interesting comment on The Floating Logos Project.

The project features corporate signs, but it alters them. By digitally removing the support structures in the photographs, the signs have an entirely new look.

As far as trademark law is concerned, I think these photographs are permissible. Reproducing a trademark is not a right reserved for the trademark holder. Trademark prevents someone else from selling goods or services using that mark. Here, it is clear that the photographer is not selling hamburgers, gasoline, or any other featured product or service.

Here is one of the pictures from the project. If you would like to go directly to the source of the picture, just click on the picture itself. If you would like to see more of the pictures, click on the picture below and click on the "previous" or "next" link below the picture.

Photograph by Matt Siber