Do I have permission to put a band name, artist name, logo or celebrity picture on a t-shirt and sell it?

Question

For instance, if i put "The Beatles" on a t-shirt I plan to distribute, is that illegal or against any copyright laws? And if I would like to do it, is there a way to get permission?

Answer 1

Band names and even an individual artist's name can be trademarked and often are, especially for celebrities.

Additionally, people have a "right of publicity" which varies by location but typically lasts 50-100 years, and can be passed along to the person's estate.

Images and photographs will also typically be protected by copyright.

In many cases, the rights holder for all of those will be the same person, estate or agency.  But, sometimes they may be split.  An artist might do an illustration of Elvis or a photographer may have taken a picture, for which they will hold the copyright, but then obtain permission from the Presley Estate to use and market that image.  So, if, for example, you wanted to use that image or photo, you would need permission from both.

When it comes to political figures (and even celebrities to an extent), then you have to weigh First Amendment rights against commercial interests.  For example, is the image making a statement or is it just being used strictly for commercial gain?  If you want to use a politician's image on a t-shirt and sell it, your best bet is to contact an IP attorney to see if your use would be legally permissible or if it will land you in trouble.

But, to try to get permission from, for example, a band, to use their image on a t-shirt, you would need to contact the band's agents, managers or record label, depending upon who controls the rights (but if you get in contact with one of them, they should be able to steer you in the right direction).

The odds are, however, that you're not going to get permission, unless you're bringing something unique to the table.  Your best bet is to find a distributor who is already license to produce merchandise for the band and see if you can purchase them at wholesale for resale.

Answer 2

It's both illegal and against copyright laws.

Answer 3

No everything is trademarked.

You may face legal problems if you do.

Answer 4

yes its very illegal

you should contact them(pretty impossible) then you could do it if they say yes

GOOD LUCK