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[EasterlyArt]

A couple of days ago while cooking breakfast I came up with an idea for a game, but that's not important. While thinking of what I would have in the game, I thought about having a hospital as one of the locations for the player to go to, but I kind of ran into an interesting problem after watching a Did You Know Gaming: Earthbound video (I think it was Earthbound). Many of the Red Cross symbols were removed for the US release for the sake of avoiding a lawsuit.

So I suppose I'm curious how some of you handled going about making your medkits and hospital like establishment logos?

[TheLastBanana]

I don't think anybody owns the hospital symbol (assuming you mean an "H" inset in a square). It's a generic symbol used on road signs and the like, so you should be safe to use it.

The Red Cross symbol is another issue because its use is restricted by the Geneva convention. It's pretty unlikely that anybody's going to come after you for it, but the Red Cross would prefer that you don't use their symbol. The easiest solution would be to use a different color of cross (maybe green?) or an "H" for "health."

[valrus]

Oops, I use that for both hospitals and doctor's offices.  At some point I should change that, maybe to an [H] and a Rod of Asclepius:



Speaking of which, the emergency medical symbol (the above on a blue asterisk) isn't currently trademarked, it seems.  I dunno if I'd use exactly that, but a white rod of asclepius on a blue shape has that "medical" feel to it.

[JWK5]

The easiest solution would be to use a different color of cross (maybe green?) or an "H" for "health."

Here in WA (and elsewhere?) the green cross is the symbol for the medical marijuana dispensaries. I don't think it is copyrighted, though, and I've seen green crosses used in games before (which is kind of amusing).


Stoners sure do love them some girl scout cookies...

[sam_suite]

I think in a lot of European countries the green cross is actually the standard icon for pharmacies and whatever. weird (and hilarious) that it's been appropriated to mean "medical pot."

[valrus]

Here in WA (and elsewhere?) the green cross is the symbol for the medical marijuana dispensaries. I don't think it is copyrighted, though, and I've seen green crosses used in games before (which is kind of amusing).

In BC, too. (Not that that'd be a surprise.)

For my little city-builder game (an attempt to let you build anything you could realistically build in a city), I had a "dispensary" sprited, with a green cross, but now that I look back at it I ended up using the same sprite as "pharmacy", with the mortar & pestle symbol instead.

I think in a lot of European countries the green cross is actually the standard icon for pharmacies and whatever. weird (and hilarious) that it's been appropriated to mean "medical pot."

I've seen the pharmaceutical green cross in France, at least; in Germany always it's a big red "A" for Apotheke.

[Layl]

The Red Cross symbol is another issue because its use is restricted by the Geneva convention. It's pretty unlikely that anybody's going to come after you for it, but the Red Cross would prefer that you don't use their symbol."

Would they prefer the use of the red cross only on things that would in real life actually correctly have the red cross on it or rather that it isn't used at all?

[~Tidal]

The green cross is used in Europe, at least in Italy, as emblem for pharmacies. Sometimes even with blue and green lights.
The "cross" symbol is used as emblem in ambulances, even if not part of the red cross. It is often differently coloured, or with different meanings (for example, "White Cross").
I suggest you to play with colours, or maybe use just a rod of asclepius. It is recognizable. Anyway, green is often used even inside hospital walls and stuff (masks and gowns are green), so definitely a colour that goes well with medkits.

[Sik]

In Argentina they're used for pharmacies too, so it's better to use another color for hospitals. And yeah, I actually see blue crosses for hospitals a lot (to be fair though, each hospital has its own logo, if any at all).

[Tobers]

I ran into this too! Or the company I worked for did, we ended up just inverting the white and red and had no probs.

Apparently this is legal and still conveys the red idea very clearly...

[Schoq]

that gets weird though because it's the flag of switzerland

[Tobers]

Haha yea. Or, with that white background it's like Japanzerland, the fabled Japanese island of German tanks.