"The Department of Transportation of the State of Wisconsin ... has in accordance with Wisconsin Statutes designated the 2009 edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways and addendums, developed by the National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), including all revisions, and errata, as the official Wisconsin Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices subject to the modifications set forth in this Supplement. The MUTCD as addended, expanded and modified by this Supplement is applicable to the design, use, application, installation, maintenance, and operation of all traffic control devices on all highways in the state. Where a section appears in the MUTCD but no section with the same number appears in the Supplement, the MUTCD section is applicable without amendment.

The federal MUTCD states specifically on its page I-1 that:

Any traffic control device design or application provision contained in this Manual shall be considered to be in the public domain. Traffic control devices contained in this Manual shall not be protected by a patent, trademark, or copyright, except for the Interstate Shield and any other items owned by FHWA.

No provisions of the supplement modify this provision of the MUTCD.