“I’m Genuinely Sorry” – Fan Account Devoted To Celebrating Sony’s Design Legacy Apologises For Plagiarism

Update #2 [Wed 29th Oct 2025, 9:35am]:

Since our initial Obsolete Sony statement went live, the account owner has posted another statement on social media:

I want to address this problem properly.

I took Sony logos that another designer had redesigned and used them for my merchandise and for the bookmark I included in my previous book. Even though I changed and reworked them, they were still someone else’s work, and that was negligence on my part. When I was first confronted with it, I reacted poorly by focusing on the legal aspect instead of just recognizing that it was someone’s job and I should have respected that from the start. I close my shop until I am completely sure of the origin of each logo. I also want to apologize to my partners who had nothing to do with it and who have always supported me. I am sorry to those affected and to everyone who supported what I am doing. I take full responsibility for it.

I also want to apologize directly to the creator whose work I used. I tried to contact you privately but couldn’t, so I’ll say it here: I’m really sorry for using your redraws without permission and for the way I initially handled it. I understand now that I should have respected your efforts from the start.

Sony Logos responded to the apology:

This is how you do it. I really appreciate your honesty in approaching the subject! Your project of sharing incredible archival material is a wonderful thing – design is, and always has been, best experienced when there is respect within the creative community. No hard feelings.

Update #1 [Wed 29th Oct 2025, 9:15am]:

Obsolete Sony provided us with a statement:

“All of the vintage logos I work with are discontinued or long-expired Sony trademarks. No one, including me or anyone else, owns them. They have no intrinsic value on their own. What gives them meaning is how they are presented: through archival work, context, and storytelling.”

It should be noted that no apology is made for the use of Sony logo work without permission or credit.

Sony Logos also confirmed that Obsolete Sony has not yet contacted the subject.

Original story: We’ve been following Obsolete Sony on social media for a while now, and for good reason; the account aims to celebrate the Japanese company’s truly remarkable impact on the world of consumer technology, from the Walkman to the PlayStation and beyond.

So it’s a shame that the account was accused of using other people’s work without credit or proper permission to generate revenue.

The accusation comes from the Sony Logos fan account, run by an individual who has spent considerable time archiving Sony iconography – even going so far as to create high-quality vector reproductions of some of the company’s most famous logos.

Sony Logos noticed that Obsolete Sony appears to have used some of its work on products, such as shirts and books, including Sony: Year by Year, which was crowdfunded last year for over £61,000.

“I haven’t been able to restart the Sony Logos project yet since it was put on hiatus a while ago, due to unforeseen circumstances. So to get my usual Sony fix, I like to see posts from @obsoletesony,” the Sony Logos social media account said in a recent thread.

“However, I just noticed that they sell books and merchandise…and I have a horrible feeling that they ripped off some of the logos that I painstakingly recreated.” The Trinitron and Mega Bass logos — used on some outdated Sony shirts — don’t exist in vector form, “so these T-shirt graphics almost certainly use the redesigned logos I created,” Sony Logos insists.

Another smoking gun is the orange dot Sony logo used on another shirt. “This is an incorrect version that I created by mistake and is 8 points wide when it is supposed to be 7 points,” explains Sony Logos.

Although the account does not seek to claim ownership of the logos (“they all belong to Sony, of course”), its owner expresses disappointment that “these things [are] being sold without attribution or acknowledgment of the Sony logos…it’s bitterly disappointing to know that they are profiting from the work of others.”

Unfortunately, Obsolete Sony reacted negatively to this. The messages are now deleted, but they were captured by another user.

“I respect what you’re doing but let’s be real, it’s nothing revolutionary,” was one of Obsolete Sony’s first responses, before doubling down by saying “because you obviously invented logo redesign” and concluding with “yes, you caught me. I’ve made millions from these logos. I’m going to retire now.”

We have contacted Obsolete Sony for comment and will update this story if and when we receive a response.

Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Sandeep Rai headed Obsolete Sony.

However, Rai got in touch to emphasize that he was solely responsible for managing the Sony: Year by Year Kickstarter campaign.

Time Extension sincerely apologizes for any confusion caused.