Copyright Basics For T-Shirt Design: Do’s And Don’ts - Designhill (2024)

FAQs

Do I need to copyright my t-shirt designs? ›

Being a t-shirt designer, you must get copyright so that no other person or organization can illegally use your designs for any commercial activity. It is tempting to use an attractive image, shirt quotes, or graphics as part of your design. But any illegal use can land you in legal trouble later.

Quotes can be trademarked if they're recognisable and mention famous characters. Everyone has the copyright to anything they write down, but it won't be protected if the sentence is short or generic. Also, most people won't bother pursuing you for using it on a T-shirt as long as it is properly attributed.

If you have a burning desire to use a particular copyrighted image for your t-shirt design, you will need to contact the original copyright owner directly to ask if you can use or license their work.

Titles, names, short phrases, slogans

Titles, names, short phrases, and slogans are not protected by copyright law. Similarly, it is clear that copyright law does not protect simple product lettering or coloring, or the mere listing of product ingredients or contents.

If you edit an image that you didn't create, copyright law still applies. The only way to avoid copyright infringement with images is to create unique works, purchase a license to use an image or find a free-to-use image.

It's generally not permissible to print celebrity images on merchandise without authorization to do so. Business owners who use celebrity images on T-shirts without permission are potentially setting themselves up for a legal battle that could lead to a big payout to the celebrities involved.

A watermark on an image is a clear sign that the image is copyrighted. Often, the watermark will contain text that indicates the name or company to whom the image belongs: do some googling and find out. Under no circ*mstances should you attempt to use software to strip the image of its watermark.

You can register a trademark with your state for $50-$150, but federal registration offers a great deal more legal protection. The USPTO offers four different forms, each with different pricing. If you file online using the Trademark Electronic Application System (TEAS), you can choose from three options.

Unless you have the authorization, agreement, and contract with rights and limitations in doing so from the celebrity/ his/her management/agent, then you have no legal right to use and especially print and make sales off of a celebrity's image.

A person or company should never use a trademark or logo without written permission from its owner. To get permission and avoid trademark infringement, write a letter to the trademark owner. Include a description of why you are asking and how the logo will be used.

Can you print copyrighted images on t-shirts? ›

Regarding the t-shirt printing industry, copyright rules are very clear: you can't print out any design you see and think that makes it yours. Using any form of artwork that isn't yours is already a breach of rights unless the owner has specifically permitted you to use the artwork.

Yes, as long as you stick to the Permitted Uses when you're using our Content (see Section 5 of our Content License Agreement for full details). For example, you can legally sell your design on printed merchandise like t-shirts, posters, stickers, tote bags and the like.

Unsplash. Similar to Pexels, Unsplash is a public domain image site that allows you to freely use images for commercial and non-commercial purposes. Unlike many other photography sites, you don't need to ask permission from or give credit to the photographer.

Receive Permission From the Copyright Owner

You can still sell t-shirts with copyrighted images, provided you gain permission from the author. Always maintain decorum and ask for permission before using anything you see on the internet.

Copyright does not protect names, titles, slogans, or short phrases. In some cases, these things may be protected as trademarks.

Add a disclaimer like “I don't own the rights” or “no infringement intended” Added your own material to the original content.

Accordingly, you cannot claim copyright to another's work, no matter how much you change it, unless you have the owner's consent.

Fair use of copyrighted works, as stated in US copyright law, “for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.”

Copyright exists from the moment the work is created. You will have to register, however, if you wish to bring a lawsuit for infringement of a U.S. work. See Circular 1, Copyright Basics, section “Copyright Registration.” Why should I register my work if copyright protection is automatic?

Can you transfer photo to a tshirt? ›

Take plastic wrap and cover the picture (fold excess to the back of the image). Place the wrapped image on the t-shirt. Cover with parchment paper once its where you want it. Take the iron, which should be set on high and begin to iron over image.

A: The most common logo placement on a shirt is on the left chest. This has become the most common placement due to the original handshake, which would force your right hand to extend and therefore cover up the right chest area and your logo.

Graphic tees explained. You may have noticed the rise of the graphic T-shirt – we certainly have.

Public Domain images have no copyright because: The copyright has expired. The work never had copyright to begin with. The copyright holder released the work into the public domain.

It's important to know that giving credit on its own does not entitle you to use an image. For instance, an image published under an “All Rights Reserved” license (the default copyright grant, unless stated otherwise), means no rights are granted for any use.

If you want to use someone else's work or copy it, or trace it, or significantly change it, whatever path you might choose without permission, it is copyright infringement. Even, or maybe, especially, reference or stock photos.

Go to the secretary of state's website for every state where your shirts are sold. Download a trademark registration application from the business services section of the website. Fill out the form, provide samples of the mark on the t-shirt and file the form with the appropriate fee.

The registration procedure includes filing an application form with the U.S. Copyright Office, with different forms based on the type of the work, such as literary works, visual works, or sound recordings. You then deposit copies of the work being registered.

Character pictures: This can include character pictures from books, movies, television shows, and comics. Note that you also cannot sell derivative artworks made of copyrighted characters. That means you cannot draw a Mickey Mouse design by yourself and put it on your t-shirt to sell it for profit.

You do it all for your business, and custom Nike clothing and gear, customized with your brand logo, will underscore your business's commitment to working smarter, innovation, and service. Place your brand logo on premium custom Nike products and clothing is a powerful way to increase your brand appeal.

Can you copyright a word on a shirt? ›

You can trademark a name, logo, or slogan that appears on your t-shirts. You may register a trademark for any materials that identify and promote your particular goods and services. This information was provided by our founding attorney, Xavier Morales, Esq.

Copying includes printing, photocopying and similar methods of mechanical duplication. It is not permissible to reproduce copyrighted materials without the written authorization of the copyright holder unless it qualifies under the copyright law's doctrine of "fair use."

If you have a hot new T-shirt design and want to legally protect it, you need to license it by copyrighting. Copyrighting your design will prevent others from using and profiting from your concept.

Yes, as long as you stick to the Permitted Uses when you're using our Content (see Section 5 of our Content Licence Agreement for full details). For example, you can legally sell your design on printed merchandise like t-shirts, posters, stickers, tote bags and the like.

What is allowed? All free photos, music and video files on Canva can be used for free for commercial and noncommercial use. If a photo, music or video file contains an identifiable person, place, logo or trademark, please ensure you check the image source or contact us if you're unsure.

As long as you create your own original design using Canva's free graphics and content (fonts, elements photos, etc), then you can sell your template for both commercial and non-commercial use. You are not allow to copy and resell templates you find on Canva.

This is a very sweeping question and the answer will depend on the specific circ*mstances. But for a safe answer: you can print anything on a t-shirt that is under public domain without infringing copyright laws. Public domain includes artworks that have expired from their copyright.

Being a t-shirt designer, you must get copyright so that no other person or organization can illegally use your designs for any commercial activity. It is tempting to use an attractive image, shirt quotes, or graphics as part of your design. But any illegal use can land you in legal trouble later.

Snaptee is the first mobile app in the world that enables you to create your own custom T-shirts with just a few taps of your smartphone. Regardless of your design or photo editing experience, you can easily create your unique clothing with our fun tools.

Quotes are generally safe to use if they exist in the Public Domain. These are works for which copyright protection has expired. If it's documented as existing in the Public Domain, you're generally safe to use it in your own original works of art such as a printed quote on a tee.

Is it profitable to sell shirts online? ›

Selling T-shirts online is one of the most profitable business ideas due to the ever-growing global industry. The business is also versatile, as a single T-shirt store can target different demographics.

Receive Permission From the Copyright Owner

You can still sell t-shirts with copyrighted images, provided you gain permission from the author. Always maintain decorum and ask for permission before using anything you see on the internet.

A person or company should never use a trademark or logo without written permission from its owner. To get permission and avoid trademark infringement, write a letter to the trademark owner. Include a description of why you are asking and how the logo will be used.

Regarding the t-shirt printing industry, copyright rules are very clear: you can't print out any design you see and think that makes it yours. Using any form of artwork that isn't yours is already a breach of rights unless the owner has specifically permitted you to use the artwork.

Fair use. General ideas, historical facts and figures, classic literary works, quotes, and symbols are fair use. You can freely incorporate them into your online business. Creative Commons and public domain archives access tons of free original works that can be used to develop designs.

In short, if a design is copyrighted, you shouldn't start selling it or something similar in your shop. Only the owner of that exclusive design has the authorization to monetize it.

You may conduct a free online search of the USPTO database at the Public Search Facility (Madison East, 1st Floor; 600 Dulany Street, Alexandria, Virginia) between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. USPTO personnel may not conduct trademark searches for the public. Private trademark search firms will conduct searches for a fee.

Without registering your trademark, you have no legal defense in case of a lawsuit. A registered trademark is a federal and legal registration of your company's mark. If anyone else wants to register a name or design that's the same or too similar to yours, they will be guilty of trademark infringement.

Under those guidelines, a prose work may be reproduced in its entirety if it is less than 2500 words in length.

How much does it cost to copyright a shirt? ›

If you are filing for copyright in the US, the registration fee will be between $35-55, depending on the case. Here's how you can copyright your t-shirt designs. It takes around 3-11 months for online applications to get processed. Mail applications can take up to two years for processing.

Nike does not permit other parties to use or modify its trademarks, images, logos, advertising, or other such materials.

Let us break it down in a real practical way. I wish I could tell you that it's ok to print whatever you want. But the reality is that copyright law applies to all intellectual property, even what you want to put on a t-shirt. Copyright law can be complex, which is why you've landed here.

Yes, unless you own the logo/trademark, or have explicit permission by the rights holder. Can I print an old logo of a famous brand on my T-shirts and sell them?

According to the US Copyright Office, copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner.

Fair use is a U.S. legal doctrine that helps support freedom of expression by allowing the unlicensed use of a copyrighted work in certain circ*mstances. Examples of fair use include criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.