Copyright infringements and Teespring campaigns

TeeSpring will automatically cancel your campaign if someone notifies them on a trademark infringement. And I do believe that most sport associations keep an eye out for and PPC or related media ads that are doing just that.

The question is.... do you want to spend time and money running an advertising campaign only to have it cancelled?

Some people also work around and only include a mascot or related team colors, quotes, etc. in an effort to circumvent trademarks.... some succeed, some don't.

I'm not one to give out any legal advice, but practical advice would be that yes, legal action against you is quite possible when you infringe on trademark and copyright laws. Nobody can tell you that it's rare because it only needs to happen ONE time to you and then you're screwed.

If you want to build a business with longevity, and one where there is profit coming in and not being spent on legal proceedings (as much as you can avoid it) then there are far better ways to build that business. Even if you just want to do a campaign for a week or two - not breaking the law can save you a lot of time from some of these companies coming down on you.

In TeeSpring, certain Tshirts with last names and a cool sayings seems to be hot. there are many honest and creative ways to stay away from the strong arm of the law. Best of luck.

I'm not one to beat my ethics and business sense into others, so I'll just say this:

Do what you think is right, and be ready for any (good or bad) consequences

Sagar

might do it once and succeed, do it twice and succeed again. Then it becomes sweet and easy. Then you are screwed!

Mdv,

Please, I've this question for you:

You're going to some one's house for any reason.
At the front yard door there's a mean Pit Bull showing you the teeth...
Would you go ahead and enter..?
I imagine you wouldn't do it, right? (if you do you may not be able to tell what happened)
OK. The Pit Bull is a sweet little pussycat compared to Copyright and/or Trademark Lawyers.

Meharis

I would avoid anything to do with any type of trademarks. Better safe than sorry.

I've often wondered about this when looking at much of this TeeSpring "buzz".

I'm fairly certain most of these TeeSpring people don't have the first clue about trademarks. The other big one I notice deals with "publicity rights" (Google it). Lots of these T-shirts use names and likenesses of celebrities and athletes.

Eventually someone is going to get sued.

Organizations like the NFL have done it before. They don't tend to mess around when it comes to these matters. They have high-priced lawyers, friends in high places, and billions of dollars.

My honest opinion is it's only a matter of WHEN, not IF the NFL will eventually sue either TeeSpring or individual/s selling copyright and trademark infringing merchandise via TeeSpring…or both.

It's gonna happen.

Who knows…maybe it will be the NCAA or a major university…or the Duck Dynasty fellas…or an individual professional athlete?

I think some people have ventured into the TeeSpring arena without really having a clue what kind of legal issues they may potentially be dealing with - especially those who use names of teams that are trademarked, logos, celebrity names and images, etc…

Some are very smart…and are able to capitalize on a trend, event, or sports fan culture without stepping over the line. Most don't…and others go so far over the line it really is just a matter of time before it (and by it I mean lawyers) catches up with them.

good question , i like to know the answer may be from a professional lawyer
Alexals1

wow scary comments in here, I was considering Teespring.. but after this .. no thanks.

The modified logo could still be considered a derivative work which would be covered under US and several other countries copyright law. If the modified logo is protected then it is quite possible you would infringing on the associated trademark. To be safe the best course would be to license the use of the logo to avoid any infringement claims.

Cheers

-don

Sorry, if it is a stupid question.

How about soccer players name?

If I do some design and write MESSI in the middle

Can use it? or is it some Copyright infringements as well?

In My view point using Messi name is not like a company trademark. Messi can't watch all people who are using his name. and Messi is a name. not a company . companies uses him for products and their trademark . go ahead

you can get creative with this and make great selling shirts for teams that do not infringe on copyright. First thing to keep in mind, colors are not copyrightable. Also names of animals and things are not copyrightable. So if you had a sports team called the New York BiPlanes then you could use a phrase like "BIPLANES ROCK" and have the team colors and maybe a ball of the sport. It's completely okay. or a phrase like "GO NEW YORK" again with team colors and the sports ball. There are a thousand angles you could take on this and be within your rights. Just be creative with it.


Good luck in all your ventures brother.

Kam (aka Zerofatz)

There are so many ways you can make money with Teespring without running the risk of infringement. Why not attack it from a different angle from which you won't have to worry about losing everything.