by 
Anonymous
ANSWERS: 3
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Company's that have trademarked their logo OWN that logo. It is illegal for it to be displayed on television (or many other forms of communication) by another party, UNLESS they have the endorsement of the company that owns the logo. Music video producers do not always want to go through the trouble (and sometimes cost) of getting the company's permission to use their logo (which just happened to be on a shirt/in the background etc.), so they simply blur it out.
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In addition to the other answer about the blur used over logos not approved and / or paid for, producers also don't want to be penalized, by the FCC for violating their rules and regulations, by broadcasting inappropriate or vulgar images over the public airways. The "blur" thing is often seen over framed (naked?) pictures or (nude) artwork in a room ("Cribs"), or whenever there's a TV on in the room (again "Cribs"), or over wordage on clothes - probably curse words or a sexual reference some would find offensive.
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In the United States, Trademark Law only applies to situations where customers may become confused about the origins of a product. For instance, if someone tries to sell a soda and names it Kokakola there would be an obvious problem. On the other hand displaying logos on a television program is considered fair use and is protected by the First Amendment...unless the content could be considered legally slanderous. You do NOT need permission to use a company logo in this manner. The reason that shows censor product logos is due to the value of product placement. In other words companies pay these shows to display their products as a form of advertisement. If the company isn't paying them to show their product, the show makers will have the logos censored so as to not devalue other existing and potential product placement agreements. The fact is that most of the logo censorship seen on TV is due to concerns about advertising.
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