Can someone please give me the information on copyright laws?
Question by Mrs Heather Schabby, M&D Goddess: Can someone please give me the information on copyright laws?
My husband and I are starting a t-shirt business. We would like to know the following, and I’m having a difficult time finding the information on the internet. If you could answer 1 or all that would be great!
1. Can we use someone’s photo (like a celebrity) on a shirt without their permission, or do you need consent?
2. Can we use a celebrity’s NAME on a shirt without their permission? Like “so-and-so is (insert adjective here)”
3. Can we use a company logo (for instance, the “window” for Microsoft Windows) if we are making a joke about it without permission, or do we need consent?
4. Can we use quotes from movies on shirts without permission, or do we need consent from the writers of the script?
5. If we see a shirt design on the internet from someone else’s website, can we ALSO make that shirt and sell it, or do we need permission from the website?
Thanks so much!
Best answer:
Answer by Steve D
One and Five are definitely against copyright law. Depending on what the quote in Number 2 is, you might be able to get away with it (be careful of slander or liable – You would probably get sued if you said something like “Joe MovieStar is a complete jerk”). Number 3 is also questionable – the shirt would have to be satire and non-demeaning and a reasonable person would have to be able to identify that it is satire.
Number 4 is probably the safest, although you might get contacted by an attorney. You could argue “fair use” since you are taking only a small quote. However, they could argue you are using the fruits of the writers’ labors to make a profit and as such, the writers/copyright owners should be reimbursed.
To cover yourself, you should get releases/agreements wherever you can.
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