Q: Do I need licensing for printing and selling t-shirts that have a celeb's name, a phrase related to him, or his lyrics?
I have a print and media company and we customize tshirts, caps, coffee mugs and other stuff... I wanted to start taking up orders from a celebrity's fandom for selling customized merchandise online. I will not be using the celeb's photos, official fonts or logos but just use his song lyrics and simple words or phrases that might refer to him. I won’t even be printing his name, just some “Proud to be a fan” type of quotes and lines from his songs. Will I still need to worry about copyright claims?
Plus, if I do need to ask permission, or get a license, how do I go about contacting his management? Who would be the correct person to get in touch with?
A:
Yes, here is a helpful resource that addresses your question:
https://www.thelaw.com/law/are-song-titles-lyrics-protected-by-copyright-or-trademark-law.317/
As far as who to ask for a license to the rights, it would be the music publisher of the song.
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
