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Author Topic: Copyright question: selling tshirts with a photo of company sign/logo  (Read 4430 times)

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« on: September 17, 2018, 17:40 »
0
I'm getting mixed messages about this topic. Say I wanted to take photos of grungy neon signage, where the logos/names of the businesses were clearly visible, and print them on tshirts. I am not selling my photos as stock... I'm selling shirts with MY photos on them, that happen to include the subject matter of (still-existing) company's logos. Is this okay??


nobody

« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2018, 19:48 »
+2
I'm getting mixed messages about this topic. Say I wanted to take photos of grungy neon signage, where the logos/names of the businesses were clearly visible, and print them on tshirts. I am not selling my photos as stock... I'm selling shirts with MY photos on them, that happen to include the subject matter of (still-existing) company's logos. Is this okay??

Have you ever heard of Trade Marks? Of course you cannot sell these t-shirts without express permission from these companies. Or just sell your shirts and get a visit from one of their corporate lawyers... :-\


« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2018, 16:53 »
+1
I think it depends. If the subject matter appears to be of a particular company (lets say you got a coca cola truck where the entire image is the red coca cola truck with the logo very visible), then yes, I think you would have an issue. (It would seem like you were selling 'coca-cola' t-shirts). And if coca cola saw that, and happened to defend their trademark, then yes, you'd have an issue.

If, however you say have a landscape picture, and a coca-cola truck happens to be in the picture, albeit very small (i.e., maybe 1/20th of the image), and you have a whole bunch of other buildings, then that is an entire different thing, because the subject matter is of a 'landscape' photo.
« Last Edit: September 18, 2018, 17:12 by SuperPhoto »

« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2018, 17:18 »
0
PPS.

Also, think of it this way. If someone only "took a picture" of "your" picture on the t-shirt, (nothing else, except for your picture that was on the t-shirt), but it was "their" picture that they took - and they then decided to print t-shirts with a picture of "your" picture on it - would you be upset? Or would you be happy with it - because it was "their" picture they took of your picture?


 

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