Film Locations Glossary
Trademark clearance
What is trademark clearance?
Also called brand clearance, or logo clearance.
Trademark clearance is establishing whether brand names and logos visible at a location may appear on screen, and covering, removing, or replacing them where they may not.
Incidental background appearances are treated differently from anything that implies endorsement or is shown in a negative context. Location managers flag the marks at scout stage so the art department can plan the cover rather than improvise it.
Example
A logo visible behind a scene where a character is poisoned is a different question from the same logo in a neutral street shot. The first gets covered or replaced; the second is usually incidental and left alone.
Figures are illustrative, chosen to show the mechanics rather than to quote market rates.
Where you'll see it
Raised by locations at scout stage, resolved with legal and the art department before the shoot.
Common mistake
Applying one rule to every logo. An incidental brand in a street shot is treated very differently from the same brand behind a scene that implies something damaging about it.
Related questions
- Can brand logos appear in a film?
- Incidental background appearances are often acceptable. Anything implying endorsement, or showing the brand in a negative context, needs clearance or removal.
- Who decides whether a mark can stay in frame?
- Production legal, on information the locations department flags at scout stage so the art department can plan covers rather than improvise.