While many products seek to have their brands show up on movies and TV shows, they also don’t want their products to be seen in a negative light.

However, since Anheuser-Busch and Stolichnaya vodka did not seek the exposure, they have asked Paramount Pictures to obscure or remove their company logos from being seen on in the DVD and On Demand versions the film Flight. The movie stars Denzel Washington as an airline pilot with a drinking problem.   

"It's not something you're legally required to do," says Daniel Nazer, a resident fellow at Stanford Law School's Fair Use Project. "There's a big distinction between the culture of the content industry and the law."