Okay, so there are a lot of differences between this logo and the Zubuchon logo. However, the outline of the pig seems to be almost identical with the outline of the Zubuchon pig logo (with slight changes like the space between ears, the rise of the rear end and angle of the tail)… And gosh, what is it with the sudden love for the gradiation in red color? Two readers separately sent me or mentioned this logo to me today, and I have been unable to find it in use on the internet, so I am assuming they saw it somewhere but I honestly don’t know the source at this point. My question is, do readers see enough of a similarity, or am I over thinking this (it was readers after all, who brought this up)? Is this a sufficient enough copy of a logo to be concerned about? I am particularly curious about the opinions of artists and advertising executives, graphic designers and IPO lawyers who know more about what might constitute an original work vs. a thinly veiled copy. What do you think? And for those of you who have seen this logo in use, do you have a contact number for the business so that I can call them to discuss or clarify the matter… perhaps they registered this before Zubuchon registered their logo? Many thanks for your comments. Just to be crystal clear, Marketman/Zubuchon/Zubufoods is NOT related in any way with the product/logo described above… Gosh, it pains me to see how frequently the issue of a simple logo comes up in this kind of light… and thank goodness for the internet which makes spotting these things that much easier… I suppose one might just simply be flattered that their logo is sought after, but on the other hand, the lack of creativity and the ethics behind just potentially replicating someone else’s design is very disturbing indeed…
UPDATE: From a reader, and professional graphic designer, is their TAKE on how it is possible that one logo is taken from another. As you can see the size, proportion, shape is nearly identical. And the thickness of the line on the new version eliminates gaps in the original. This may not PROVE ANYTHING FOR SURE, but it’s highly illustrative for me. I appreciate the folks who have reviewed the logo and sent in their opinions…
ORIGINAL AND COPYRIGHTED/REGISTERED LOGO OF ZUBUCHON BELOW:
59 Responses
I definitely see a similarity.If I passed it without enough time to check, there is a really good chance I’d mistake it for Zubuchon. :(
the source is unmistakable. Definitely a copy.
Just like the “Pilipinas kay Ganda” issue…
Copy.
Definitely a copy! Here we go again… tsk. tsk.
They copied the logo, may not be an exact copy but a copy nontheless. There are a lot of ways to draw a pig if you just put your mind to it, pero gusto nila easy way out.This is probably a sad sign of the times. From copying a logo to leakages in exams, cheating in elections, and so on and so forth.
MM, I don’t understand why some business owners would resort to doing this. I’m starting a baking business myself, and I have a vision of how I would like to be identified, and it is completely original. I can’t stand how these copycats just take an existing work, alter it a bit, and pass it off as their own. On a lighter note, I have some very good ideas for piggy logos – anything animal, actually. Maybe these sisig people can get in touch with me. Haha!
I just googled cute-pig-drawing and looked through over 250 drawings. Not one had a silhouette close to Zubuchon’s
Hi MM, undoubtedly, it’s distinctly similar to Zubuchon’s logo..tsk tsk
Mm, unfortunately thats the price you pay for having such a very attractive logo,:)..dont these people know that using MM lechon logo will bring them bad mojo? as to what happenned to UPE?? anyways MM, maybe you are just over thinking about this?? since if youre gonna take a look at the shape of the pig sideways, youre gonna see the same shape and contour everytime,right?? as to the color, maybe if you colored it blue or pink or whatever,aside from red, dont you think its a little off? Im just giving them the benefit of the doubt. what do you think MM??? Let us all have a healthy discussion here. :)
with this comment: “with slight changes like the space between ears, the rise of the rear end and angle of the tail” means that it isn’t a copy. in fact, i read https://www.chanrobles.com/legal7marks.htm and it seems that the sisig logo is even registerable because it is not *identical* to your logo nor does it sell the same product/service. of course that recent one for the chicharon and the older one for the ultimate prito-something is a different matter altogether.
i see where you’re coming from, though. this logo and the business itself is your baby and you, of course, are protective of it. i just think that perhaps you are overthinking on this particular logo :)
emsy, thanks for that link, it is very useful. Actually, Zubuchon does sell a lot of lechon sisig, and that fact is also registered because we detailed specific products that will carry our logo. But I understand the concept of sufficient number of changes that legally protects another design… hence the post that seeks others views on this — and opinions run the gamut from one end to the other. yazi, if you google pig images, logos, lechon logos, etc. — you would see just how many unique takes on the pig there are. Few if any look as close as the Zubuchon logo as this one, the chicharon one and the UPE one. barang, I agree with your observation, hence my concern about this one. Increasingly, folks are taking images from the internet and simply altering them slightly for their own purposes, more a sign of intellectual and artistic laziness than anything sinister. crabbychef, will send them your way if they email me. :) Sayong, yes, I immediately thought of the Pilipinas kay Ganda situation, and, if you recall, this post on the blog Manila Boy of Spanky Enriquez, his raising the question of the possible “plagiarism” led to the logo being withdrawn…
Google “pig logos” and find these.
Google “lechon logos” and find these.
Google “cute pig logos” and find these.
Google “pig drawings” and find these.
So you see, with thousands and thousands of takes on a single animal, it is possible to have images that are uniquely different. Why oh why in the span of one week have two logos similar to Zubuchon come to light? :(
Hi Market Manila, the similarities are really noticeable. Anyway have you ask your designer if they hand-drawn the pig’s silhouette? ‘Cause if not chances are they probably use the “custom shape tool” in PhotoShop to do that and most customs shapes are free for commercial use, if that’s the case it’s kinda hard to put a fight with your competitor on that light.
Just a heads up, Zubuchon’s font maybe subjected for copyright issues since Helvetica/Helvetica Neue is a commercial font, and using it for commercial purposes has some fees. I just hope that’s not Helvetica or at least your designer bought that font.
Enzo, thanks for the heads up and I will definitely check with the designer re: font. She works with a well-known local ad agency on a free-lance basis, and seems extremely professional, so I am hoping that isn’t an issue, and if not, it will be corrected ASAP.
Very difficult to say with 100% certitude, but my gut tells me that the two logos are creatively linked in some fashion.
I used the links provided in the above post and I am staggered at the variety of “piggie logos” out there in the “ad world”.
to all piggy related businesses out there: If you need original porcine graphics please contact me and stop copying the zubuchon logo! I have drawn a lot of pigs and I have digested more.
looks like a copycat to me. With so many pig drawings/logos/caricatures around, I wonder why they have to resort to copying instead of creatively coming up with their own take? Haaayayay!
It looks like a total copy to me. The reason that the spacing is different is that the “designer” did an outline of the Zebuchon logo with a thick brush. Complete and total rip-off of the original design.
hmmm… looks very similar to the Zubuchon logo but i think that we should give them the benefit of the doubt first… as the the court people call it “presumtion of innocence” i think… more investigation needs to be done before we make any conclusions… basically, let’s not hurry into this! :)
definitely a COPY!!!
Its easy to tell that it’s a copy cat with a few alteration but the general shape and corners of zubuchon logo are there. If I’m the owner of zubuchon and have the capacity to pursue legal means I’ll definitely do it before it become rampant. You’ve got to depend your masterpiece and it’s not about money, it’s about the principle of protecting what is yours. As a filipino entrepreneur that is something we need to learn from our western counterpart where they really put a lot of respect on intellectual property.
Lee, walang kupas…..funny and clever comment! :)
A copy that is slightly altered.
Legally tho, I’m not sure if you’ll have a strong case against them since it isn’t identical. I remember reading an article about the piracy/fakes issue in China, and how the government turns a blind eye on manufacturers because they purposely alter logos or misspell names. Like how Gucci can become Gvcci, etc.
don’t worry bout it MM. it can’t be helped that you get your source from the same animal and that red is the most appetizing and enticing color (yep, ask Jollibee). but manang elsa’s will never fly as a brand like your Zubuchon has. i mean Zubuchon is an established and famous brand already. no need to dwell on something trivial. that’s my opinion.;)
oh yeah and urs is copyrighted…
its definitely a copy. just like the barbeque / grill resto/ store here in manila, before they use yahoo with exactly the color and font of yahoo.com..
then they changed it to yohoo, though the font and color is still the same. most probably they were reported to yahoo.com
“It has been consistently held that the question of infringement of a trademark is to be determined by the test of dominancy. Similarity in size, form,and color, while relevant, is not conclusive. If the competing trademark contains the main or essential or dominant features of another, and confusion and deception is likely to result, infringement takes place.”
“The trademarks in their entirety as they appear in the respective labels must also be considered in relation to the goods to which they are attached. The discerning eye of the observer must focus not only on the predominant words but also on the other features appearing in both labels in order that he may draw his conclusion whether one is confusingly similar to the other.”
https://www.fnslaw.com.ph/announcement%20IP.html#_ftn1
lee….hahaha! yes, exactly! you said it!
i can also draw elephants. have not tasted them yet though.
one look and it shouts “SIMILAR”…why not Piglet or Hamm? …hehe
Fishy! From what I remember in law school, infringement takes place when you’re trying to pass off your product as that of another thus, an ordinary consumer will not be able to tell the difference. The mere fact that out of the thousands of design possibilities, they came up with a ‘similar’ one, tells you of their freakin motive.
Their motive is simply that of theft.
MM, i don’t know if this applies to trademarks. In a registered product design, and the designer or the company producing it owns the copyright to it. If another entity produces a similar-looking product, even if it’s not exactly the same in all details (tweaking it a bit) , for as long as it misleads anyone, on mere sight of it, to think that it’s the original, is already considered infringement. If anyone familiar with your logo sees it and was misled to think it’s zubuchon, then it would be considered infringement. I did not think it’s zubuchon when I saw it but yeah, I would think it got it’s inspiration from your logo.
Looks almost the same… But if cases are to be filed, the number of modifications made on the logo is the point of debate…
They may say that they used your Zubuchon logo as an inspiration to their own logo.
As a graphic artist myself, I can say that they simply copied the pig logo, changed the shape color to white then added “stroke” to outline the logo, rendered the layer then erased the other outline added the text part of the logo.
There’s not enough similarity for an infringement law suit.
i notice from big companies, that it depends on who is copying or have similar logos that they have to act legally upon , if the copier is tiny, they just let it be.but if big , they use legal means and ask for big damage fee, i think u are acting proper by contacting them, of course they would say innocent, but let their conscience act after u talk with them. Definitely would tell u the kind of people they are. U could tell them and its true too. Its lucky for their business. Ingna makagaba raba ko.
It looks derivative of MM’s Logo, like it was hand drawn or something. Plagiarists are fast becoming the new fishpan people.
Have you tried superimposing one over the other? Would show how much of the lines coincide. But yes, better contact the owners first before we judge them. Malay natin, they also paid someone to do their logo for them and it’s their “artist’s” fault.
Definitely copied from the Zubochon logo
Seriously, get over it. It does look similar but your vigilante tendencies to find people who copy you are really going over the top. Yes, it’s intellectual property stuff and you have the right to be protective of them – but you live in the Philippines where these kinds of things are prevalent. Be happy with your success and in some way-somehow-these copycats won’t ever achieve what you have done with your business. Every other post you’ve made recently is about bloggers getting bribes, or people copying you. Focus on what you do best, which is blogging about food. I’ve been a silent reader of yours since 2007 and to tell you the truth, this isn’t even the food blog it used to be! We already know what you stand for, so kinda tone down on the “I am right and I should always point it out” tendencies. Yes, you are somewhat of an online celebrity, therefore, people will keep on copying you. Fish pan me all you like, all I’m saying is a very frank observation.
Since your asking for opinions, I’ll give you an honest one. Just don’t take it negatively and take it constructively and I say this with utmost respect.
You should have done your own research first before making a blog post about it and not ask for their numbers and contacts on your blog post. As you can see a lot of your fans are already all over this poor ‘Manang Elsa’s’ and making their own conclusions. A negative vive has already been tagged to that business. What if it turned out that they have registered it first what then?
A reader brought it up? Even more that you should have done your research first behind the scenes before posting.
Maybe they copied, maybe not. Maybe they have changed or modified it enough that there’s no case here. Maybe it was coincidental. No one knows yet for sure. My point is, what if you are wrong?? Can you still undo whatever negativity now being attached to this certain business as a result of your blogpost??
After the ‘bigbadblogger’ article exploded I think you fully know how a blogpost can positively or negatively affect someone’s business.
Since you are indirectly competing with each other, some people may construe this blogpost as unfairly putting a bad light over their business. They may not even know you (believe it or not!!) for all you know. Maybe you’re not that famous as some of your fans/readers are implying.
My two cents.
*Disclaimer: I do not know or is connected to Manang Elsa’s Homemade Sisig and I have no blog about foods and travel and everything related. :-)
The logo was apparently in use on a facebook page. It has since been removed after I posted this entry. I am not aware of the logo being on actual product packaging. But I am grateful that immediate action was taken voluntarily. And I do not regret being vigilant, and more accurately readers being vigilant about the logo… nor do I wish any other business ill will, I just hope all businesses try to operate as decently as possible.
I realize not all folks have to agree with opinions or posts in this blog. But you do have a choice to simply stop reading it if it isn’t to your liking. :)
Ice, if they had registered their logo first, then our logo would have had difficulty passing the review of the IPO, particularly since a cross-check against similar products was done over 16 months ago into related product categories such as lechon, sisig, chicharon, etc. The registration process for a logo can take up to 12 months in total, but it is the submission date that matters. With extensive requirements, repeat visits and upwards of PHP10,000 for each registered use, it is often the case that most folks don’t even bother to register their logos.
Pasha, I have a t-shirt given to me by a friend, and it says “Choose Frustration Over Indifference” — those that chose to be indifferent don’t help to improve anything. Those that are frustrated are more likely to take the next step… And as you can see from the last three times a logo issue has occurred, in all cases the logos have been taken down.
You are selling a different product isn’t it ?I think if they copy the name or make it like CEBUCHON and put it underneath the outline of the pig, them maybe .. If I want to buy zubuchon lechon, I’ll be looking for the NAME of the lechon place, not for a generic outline of a pig, I don’t know, just a personal opinion.I know you don’t take negative comments and you won’t take it lightly. You tend to go on a rant everytime somebody disagrees . The quality of your product , not the COOL LOGO is what matters. The drawing of the pig is so common anyway. You don’t have a case.
don’t sweat the small stuff…people will buy your lechon because it is good irregardless of logo design. It’s not like YOU invented lechon and nobody else should use a pig design but you. That design of yours is so generic anyway, anybody has a right to use a pig drawing if their business is related to pork, as far as I’m concerned. The thought of people going to Manang Elsa’s because your advertising is somewhat similar is beyond absurd. I don’t think you need to have a law degree to be able to differentiate the two designs. So what are you so hyped about? I guess, youre right, maybe more of us should not be reading your blog anymore.
@butsoy, you are entitled to your own opinion as well as everyone here. However majority of us believe that we Filipinos should stick to our integrity and principle for our country to move on. What is absurd to me is that when you let go of small things knowing that it is wrong. It’s time for us to wake up!!
oops. Valentines day is coming! Advance hapi love day! I believe in the saying, an eye for eye a tooth for a tooth, but love covers all shortcomings. ..
aloutte, if I didn’t have a case, of if the three folks that seem to have used the logo before were confident of how they developed theirs, why would they immediately pull it off from public viewing? As for branding and logos, they do matter to many businesses, small and large, and while in this case we are a tiny player, right and wrong isn’t driven by large or small. It’s just right or wrong.
Copying from a classmate in school, regardless of age and/or motive, is wrong. Plagiarizing work from another source is also wrong. The same concepts apply. And if you bothered to look at the hundreds of designs in the links above, almost all of them manage to be unique, so it isn’t hard to come up with a logo that is unique. After all, with nearly 6 billion people around the world, 99.9% of them manage to have unique facial features, after all… :)
It was recently in the news that executives from a very expensive French brand were in town recently to oversee the raiding and confiscation of counterfeit bags and other items bearing their logos… they managed to confiscate roughly PHP1.2 billion worth of the items that were then destroyed. So was it wrong for this company to pursue this course of action? Of course not. It was simple good business practice and it was well within the laws that protect their brand and copyrights… Read article here. So famous or not, multi-billion enterprises or pipichugin lechoneros that have registered and copyrighted brands should be respected, it’s as simple as that.
Don’t get on your high horse, after all your Zubuchon logo very closely resembles a famous pig in a well known book… and don’t tell me that because that pig was not registered in the Phil it’s available. Vienna Convention and all that.
Yup, I can see how I’m gonna get fooled by their logo:
*opens take-out bag*
“WTF?!! BAKIT SISIG ‘TO???!!!”
sister, here are 150+ images from Charlotte’s Web and Wilbur, so maybe you can point out specifically which one appears to be the closest match in form, color or proportion to the Zubuchon logo. No doubt logos are inspired by similar base sources, but it is the manner in which they are created and the distinctiveness of each design that holds sway when the trademark is registered…
If you google “red pig” here are another hundred-plus images of red pigs and its easy to see that there are lots of ways to draw a red pig and they don’t have to mirror each other.
love, exciting and new , come aboard were expecting you. The Loveboat soon ul b making another run, the loveboat. .
I don’t think there are any legal or ethical issues regarding the logo.
Have seen more logos which are more misleading.
There may be similarities but the entire logo would be taken in consideration and not in part. The similarities are not the distinguishing factor of the logo. Moreover, I doubt that even a simpleton would walk in Manang Elsa’s Homemade Sisig and think that is is related to Zubuchon having its own logo and brand name.
I think though that publicizing Manang Elsa’s Homemade Sisig in a negative connotation similar to a backstabbing type of attack is a bit unethical. Further research should have atleast been made or if it really has caused any damages to Zubuchon in anyway then the 2 parties should have discussed it first and see if they could compromise and settle.
*Note: not related to any party just an avid reader
crumpy, and I suppose when the DOT logo plagiarism issue cropped up late last year, you might have thought there was no noticeable similarity involved?…
@Junb- I don’t see any similarities at all between two logos and not agreeing with the bloggers opinion, makes me a person who don’t have integrity and principle? I think speaking your mind despite being the minority and not being influenced by somebody elses’s opinion because they are POPULAR , has more INTEGRITY and PRINCIPLE. I did not think there was copying involved, so there was no wrongdoing .Therefore, this country can move on…You know Junb what pisses me off more with this blog are some of the reader’s comments who think they are better , more educated than the rest of the Filipinos. Every other business to you guys are incompetent, ignorant and worst copiers- that’s why Phil. has not progressed. What is that called , “talangka attitude”?
Is it a Filipino thing to jump to the defense of the offender? I’ve heard here so many, many times that I have to “understand” the person who has offended me or tried to steal from me.
This is theft of intellectual property. If you don’t understand what intellectual property is (or property in general), perhaps some here should get an education on that subject before coming to the defense of the thief.
@Butsoy: um, first, what is your point? Second, you don’t see any similarity between the two? It’s really quite obvious. Look at the nose, look at the ears, look at the tail and its position. This is clearly copied from the source (I describe above how it was derived … and I’ll do it again now: the “designer” created an outline of the Zubuchon pig and then used a wide brush to trace that outline).
You talk about the Philippines not advancing. How can the Philippines advance with people stealing from each other? With the Crab Mentality of many of the people … according to them, it’s OK to steal from MM because he’s rich and he won’t notice/mind, right?
Theft is theft. To those who defend theft: you are the ones helping to hold back the Philippines. Please stop.
James , I did not say that Phil. is not advancing , it was your friend Junb who said that and I just contradicted it. I’m not defending the offender to whom you now called a thief without even giving them a chance to explain. I am just responding , again, to your friend Junb’s accusation that I have no integrity and principle. But here you are, underpants rolled into a tightwad about a thing that is so blown out of proportion, it is so melodramatic itwould put the teleserye’s to shame. I do not defend theft of anykind and to accuse me of doing that is very offensive and deplorable.Now, you probably had to get on your high horse and trample other people’s businesses or just accuse them of being THIEVES- works everytime….
I am certainly NOT defending theft. Marketman has the right to defend himself, but as a reader of a FOOD/TRAVEL blog, I simply think that he should be more focused on that. I’m just more of complaining that this blog is becoming more of a opinion/plagiarism/IPR/RH Bill/etc. blog than anything else as these topics come up on almost one in every 5 or 6 food blogs (guessing and not only fact as I’m sure Marketman will point out). It just didn’t use to be this way!
Pasha, I write based on what comes up and what I feel like writing about — hence, the blog. There are nearly 3,000 posts on this blog, if one comes up that isn’t on a topic you would like to read, there are many others to keep you occupied. I suspect at least 95% of them are food related. I don’t eat and cook constantly and many other things catch my attention.
Let’s stick to the issues, this post was about potential use or copy or close inspiration of an existing registered logo:
1. I wouldn’t have done a post if I didn’t think the logo were close enough to the original pig visual.
2. Readers weighed in with their views, many agreeing, and some not.
3. Several graphic artists have emailed me privately to say they have analyzed the graphic against the original, doing an “overlay” (whatever than means and entails) and in their opinion, it looks like it’s copied… that is THEIR professional opinion, and simply that. But I do tend to put more credence in qualified, professional graphic artists, as that is what they DO FOR A LIVING.
4. The logo in question was sent in by my readers, as were the two previous cases (I am not a mad vigilante searching for logo offenders), and in all cases they were taken down after I, or the lawyers, contacted them, the last two logos within a couple of hours of the posts. And I DO NOT believe most of these cases had any malicious intent. Ignorance maybe, and thankfully, they saw fit to remove the logos from use as soon as they were informed. I wish those businesses well — the more pork products, the better.
5. This IP thing is not a new “focus” for me… if you have been reading this blog for a while, issues around photonapping, plagiarism, etc. have been written about for YEARS, and they DO RILE ME UP.
6. Folks need to realize that there are reasonable ways to conduct themselves in business, and not, and with the net, issues such as logos can rapidly be viewed for what they are…
END OF STORY