Logos & Trademarks

The Minnesota State Fair owns copyright protection in connection with its various logos and creative materials. The MINNESOTA STATE FAIR® & Logos, MIGHTY MIDWAY®, KIDWAY®, THE GREAT MINNESOTA GET-TOGETHER®, TWELVE DAYS OF FUN ENDING LABOR DAY®, BLUE RIBBON BARGAIN BOOK®, Fairscape Logo, and Fairchild Mascot are trademarks of Minnesota State Agricultural Society, dba Minnesota State Fair, and are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Any and all Minnesota State Fair and related branding or logo usage MUST be approved with written consent from the Minnesota State Fair. To seek approval for usage on websites, social media, print materials and more, please email logos@mnstatefair.org.

The Minnesota State Fair (“MSF”) organizes and conducts one of the largest fairs in the country with a broad spectrum of educational and entertainment offerings, including art exhibitions, musical concerts, food products and services, arts and crafts, contests, shows, rides and amusements under its widely successful MINNESOTA STATE FAIR trademarks. MSF has been using the MINNESOTA STATE FAIR trademark since at least as early as 1859, and it owns U.S. Trademark Registration No. 3027147 for the MINNESOTA STATE FAIR & design mark.

Over the past 150+ years, the Minnesota State Fair has invested considerable effort and money in promoting its products and services under its MINNESOTA STATE FAIR marks and materials and in carefully controlling the public’s perception of the nature and quality of those products and services. As a result, this mark has become an extremely valuable asset of the Minnesota State Fair.

Since the Minnesota State Fair has used this mark continuously and exclusively since 1859, United States trademark laws provides the Minnesota State Fair the right to prevent others from using marks in a manner that is likely to cause consumer deception, confusion or mistake as to the source of related goods. These rights not only apply to identical marks used with identical products/services, but any marks and products/services similar enough in nature to create confusion in the marketplace. Furthermore, the Minnesota State Fair’s federal trademark registration provides the right to seek treble damages and attorney fees associated with the unauthorized use of the mark.

Section 106 of the U.S. Copyright Act provides the copyright owner of a work with “the exclusive right to do and authorize any and all of the following:
(1) to reproduce the copyrighted work;
(2) to prepare derivative works based upon the copyrighted work; and
(3) to distribute copies of the copyrighted work to the public.”

As a result, any unauthorized reproduction, distribution, derivative works, or other commercial exploitation of MSF’s works infringes on Minnesota State Fair’s rights.

If you have any questions, please contact logos@mnstatefair.org.