Legalities in film

[Ryanmv11]

Quick question, is it illegal to film at a gas station?

I already did but am planning on continuing a short film there and was lead by a small comment which led me to ask,

is it illegal to film at a gas station, inside and out?

Thanks.

-Ryan

[manuel_d]

If you have the permission of the owner there shouldn't be a problem I guess.

[Ryanmv11]

If you have the permission of the owner there shouldn't be a problem I guess.

Well it's a corporate co. gas station. (shell) to be exact.
I don't want the process of sending letters and asking for permission from
the real owner and all that junk. Is the store managers able to give me permission?

I will not be filming any logos or company products. It's all for a short.

thanks.

-Ryan

[veg]

千里の道も一歩より
One step at a time?

[manuel_d]

千里の道も一歩より
One step at a time?

Noted my signature?
It means "even a journey of 1000 miles starts with the first step".

@ryan: I'm not sure whether a permission from the store manager will be enough. I think it'd be worth a try at least.
Big companies can be fussy about it.
Maybe you'll have better chances at private owned gas stations.

[icarusi]

is it illegal to film at a gas station, inside and out?

Some interesting stuff here:-

http://vjforums.com/archive/index.php?t-10492.html

[Duke]

You have many different issues to face. They are covered more thoroughly in other threads.

1) Trademark. If you show the shell, or other companies trademark without permission they can sue you in several different ways. Just their colors at the gas station could be a problem.

2) Copyright. You're picture is copying their designs.

3) People there. It's a public view but private property. They have some expectation of privacy even if only minimal.

If you have a shot on a public street with not trademarks shown and no people identifiable you might/should be OK.

The best way is to find a private gas station, get permission and remove logos first.

Duke