Sorry for the bump, but how do I go about copyrighting a logo?
I've never done anything for an organisation before, and I doubt I'd copyright the logo I made, but for future reference, are there any free way's to copyright a logo?
Did you have a contract with the student union?
Put simply, technically, as you created the logo, it was automatically copyrighted to you as the creator at the moment of creation
(unless of course you were employed by a company at the time of course, in which case the contract you signed at the start of your employment will have a clause that clearly states that you do not own any of the copyrights on any of the work that you create whilst employed for said company).
Although there are exceptions to this moment of creation rule, and you shouldn't automatically make the assumption that you do own the copyright.
Now, if you had a contract with the student union, then somewhere in there, there will be a clause that will either state that you as creator of the logo will continue to control and own the copyright to your logo and that the student union will license the logo
(and any associated rights) from you for them to be legally able to use it.
Or, there will be a clause that states that upon completion of the project, any and all copyrights as well as ownership, usage rights etc of said copyrights are transferred
(AKA as assigned) to the student union.
I should probably say that the latter is the norm.
If no contract exists, then it is highly likely that you own the copyright on the logo, as well as usage rights etc.
Therefore your course of action is either for you to keep control of the copyright
(and any associated rights) and license them to the student union for them to legally use, you'll need to discuss this with them.
I should perhaps also add, that speaking as a professional designer, it's highly unlikely that any organisation would ever willingly
(or knowingly) agree to licensing their logo from a designer
(a frankly absurd situation to be honest), and if they're not familiar with copyright laws,
(usually smaller, less experienced companies), they will often
(though erroneously) come to a conclusion that once the project is complete, and that they have paid you, that they own the logo and can do as they wish.
Or, for you to transfer the copyright
(and any associated rights) to the student union, though it is of course important that you do obtain a usage rights agreement from them that will allow you to use the logo in your portfolio in the future for example.
Hope that helps.