Anyone know how to check if a logo or phrase has been copyrighted?

Answer 1

They might be covered by Trademarks (for such things as '(R)Intel Inside') or Design Patents (for the artistic appearance of something, the shape of a coke-bottle or perfume-bottle, iPod, etc).

In the US, these can be found at the USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) website. For other countries, try typing 'trademarks' into google.

You'll have to read the info on the USPTO site to see whether advertising phrases like 'Coke. It's the Real Thing' are covered as Trademarks.

You get the automatic copyright of anything you write, but you may need to consult a lawyer or Intellectual Property agent to register your copyright and get it properly recorded. To get the exclusive rights to a short phrase, you would probably have to register it as a Trademark.

You can read about the keywords and Intellectual Property law in wikipedia.