This feels a bit overzealous, "just" somebody following the letter of the job rather than the spirit of it over at TfL.
I can see how it sort of happened though. TfL makes money from licensing The roundels and other ephemera are popular. From tourists buying licensed souvenirs, and other transport authorities licensing the signage system in use in their own regions, that is used to invest in the system as a whole (worth noting: TfL is not a private entity, it's non-profit making, everything it makes goes back into investment).
Because of that popularity there are a lot of people who try and rip off the TfL brand and trademarks. Lots of tourist souvenir shops might be minded to get their own take on this material, and have some cheaply made and expensively sold to tourists, for example. Another transport authority might skip the millions invested in thinking about how to communicate clearly, and just "lift" TfL's thinking. That obviously isn't fair, if you think IP law is able to be fair in any way.
So, yeah, there are people whose job it is to protect that revenue and protect the trademarked and copyright material that protect that revenue.
But this is a hobbyist having fun. I don't think anybody thought that this was a service provided by TfL, and I can't expect he was making much of a living from it, or depriving TfL of revenue.
It's really rather tragically sad that we're now in a World where good intentions on all sides can't really see each other. There is so much utter penny-and-dime theft and copyright infringing shit on the internet that requires constant purging by people who are expected to protect their own trademarks, that the assumption now is everybody is trying to make money off everyone else, and nobody wants to do any actual original work any more.
I hope someone at TfL sees the light and comes up with a better license for use of their assets, and sees this for what it is, and reverses the decision. I doubt that'll happen, though. :(
I can see how it sort of happened though. TfL makes money from licensing The roundels and other ephemera are popular. From tourists buying licensed souvenirs, and other transport authorities licensing the signage system in use in their own regions, that is used to invest in the system as a whole (worth noting: TfL is not a private entity, it's non-profit making, everything it makes goes back into investment).
Because of that popularity there are a lot of people who try and rip off the TfL brand and trademarks. Lots of tourist souvenir shops might be minded to get their own take on this material, and have some cheaply made and expensively sold to tourists, for example. Another transport authority might skip the millions invested in thinking about how to communicate clearly, and just "lift" TfL's thinking. That obviously isn't fair, if you think IP law is able to be fair in any way.
So, yeah, there are people whose job it is to protect that revenue and protect the trademarked and copyright material that protect that revenue.
But this is a hobbyist having fun. I don't think anybody thought that this was a service provided by TfL, and I can't expect he was making much of a living from it, or depriving TfL of revenue.
It's really rather tragically sad that we're now in a World where good intentions on all sides can't really see each other. There is so much utter penny-and-dime theft and copyright infringing shit on the internet that requires constant purging by people who are expected to protect their own trademarks, that the assumption now is everybody is trying to make money off everyone else, and nobody wants to do any actual original work any more.
I hope someone at TfL sees the light and comes up with a better license for use of their assets, and sees this for what it is, and reverses the decision. I doubt that'll happen, though. :(