Skate-Wear Central

Can Shirt

Seven Legal Tips (for Your T-shirt Business)

When starting a t-shirt business you might come across confusing legal issues. The legalities of business can’t be over looked. A lot of the legal info you find while conducting your research might seem confusing, so we’re gonna break some of it down so it’s easier to understand. Make sure you know your stuff before you get into legal trouble!

Copyright and trademarks- A copyright is the right to copy and gives the copyright holder the right to be credited for the work, to determine who may adapt the work to other forms, financially benefit from it, and other related rights. A trademark is a type of intellectual property, and typically a name, word, phrase, logo, symbol, design, image, or a combination of these elements. You should copyright your t-shirt designs and trademark your label name to protect them legally. But, don’t worry about copyright and trademark too early. Until your work is being widely purchased or distributed, copyright may not even be necessary to launch your t-shirt business.

Images from the internet- Don’t use ‘em without permission. Images from the internet are copyright, unless you took them, in which case you own the copyright. There are ways of beating the system though: If you use a basic, generic picture, for example, one of a dog, you’d probably get away with it in some cases. Is there is nothing peculiar about the picture you use and it looks like something you could very well have taken, most likely the copyright holder won’t really be able to distinguish the image and wouldn’t waste time trying to hunt you down. On the other hand if you use a picture that’s very specific or complex, for example, a picture of a white pit-bull with black spots wearing a football helmet, you’ll get caught easily.

Famous quotes- When using quotes in t-shirt designs you should quote the person who originally said it. Don’t pretend like you made it up. Just give them their credit, even if it’s in super tiny print. You definitely wouldn’t like it if you said something funny one day and saw it on a bunch of t-shirts the next, without any recognition for it.

Popular characters- Never use them unless you have a license to do so. Just make up your own characters or get someone else to. Simple as that. Using popular characters in an attempt to sell quick is just plain lazy and uncreative.

Writing and signing contracts- Learn the ins and outs of contracts before writing or signing them or you’ll get screwed. Also, don’t sign a contract for anything until you’ve weighed out the options of having the contract signed or not, as well as how you’d feel about your decision to sign when a few months go by. Find some sample contracts online or in books so you get an idea of how they should be formatted.

Parodying familiar figures and icons- It’s allowed thanks to the right to parody. Just don’t get too crazy with it. When your parodying becomes overly offensive you may get attacked and or kidnapped by the entourage of figure you’re parodying. Just beware.

Political figures- In most cases they can be used. It’s no wonder there are so many political t-shirts on the market. The only situation you wouldn’t be safe using them is if you find a famous photo of a political figure. The photo would most likely be recognized as x photographer’s famous photo, so you’d be in hot water. In addition to political figures you can also use flags, coat of arms, and national symbols.

WHAT LEGAL ISSUES ARE YOU COMING ACROSS?
T-ShirtMagazine.com = T-Shirt Madness!

About the Author

T-Shirt Magazine is the premier source for everything surrounding
the t-shirt culture. Published weekly as a free online magazine, T- Shirt Magazine is also a web community of t-shirt fans and collectors as well as designers and entrepreneurs.

Waylon Jennings Live If I Can Find A Clean Shirt

Mens Carhartt Long-Sleeve Graphic T-Shirt $30 Durable tee that you can wear alone or layer from Carhartt. 

Mens Hurley Dipped Crew Shirt $32 Dipped Crew Shirt is by Hurley. It is AWESOME. The best shirt hangin’ in the closest.

Mens O’Neill Stringer Shirt $34.5 Get comfortable in the Stringer Shirt from O’Neill.

Mens O’Neill Shreds Shirt $34.5 Throw on some stripes with the Shreds Shirt from O’Neill.

Mens Volcom Transponder S/S Shirt $38 Transponder S/S Shirt

Mens VANS Earle Shirt $44.5 Get a classic western look with the Earle Shirt from Vans.

Mens Carhartt Tough Shirt Graphic S/S $25 Tough Shirt Graphic S/S

Mens O’Neill Dover Shirt $45 Dover Shirt by O’Neill is just flat out cool! Wear it when it’s time to party!

Islanders IslandDaze Hybrid L/S Sun Shirt $27 IslandDaze Hybrid L/S Sun Shirt is the perfect shirt for coverage from the sun. I just bought one and love it!

Mens Patagonia Vintage ’73 Logo T-Shirt $35 The Patagonia Vintage ’73 Logo T-Shirt has the feel of your old favorite t-shirt but without all of the musk

Mens Hurley Bold Crew Shirt $35 Bold Crew Shirt by Hurley is not too bold for ya. It’s what will make you bold. So put it on and take charge.

Islanders Longsleeve Crew T-Shirt $22 The Islanders Long Sleeve Crew T-Shirt is super soft and features our own logo screen printed on the front

Mens Carhartt Short Sleeve Logo T-Shirt $24 The t-shirt designed for work. A heavier weight tee for more durability.

Mens Carhartt Lightweight Work Pocket T-Shirt $24 The Lightweight Work Pocket T-Shirt from Carhartt is perfect for work or play.

Mens Carhartt Textured-Knit Zip Mock Shirt $44 Take your Carhartt from work to weekend with this knit zip mock shirt.

Mens Volcom Fazed Out S/S Shirt $49.5 Get a vintage look with the Fazed Out S/S Shirt from Volcom.

Mens Islanders IslandDaze Hybrid S/S Sun Shirt $25 IslandDaze Hybrid S/S Sun Shirt is perfect shirt for being outside. Try it, you’ll like it!

Womens Volcom Not So Classic Shirt 2 $42 Not So Classic Shirt 2 is by Volcom. Hey girl’s, the name is wrong, it’s a classic and you need it!

Mens Carhartt Short-Sleeve Workwear Pocket T-Shirt $20 Your all-purpose work shirt from Carhartt. Long-lasting and durable.

Mens O’Neill Revival Tee $20 Revival Shirt