What you can and can't do when customizing graphics for your custom t-shirts. Custom t-shirts and copyright.
Creating low-cost custom T-shirts is very simple: once you've chosen the model, size, and color, you simply upload the photo or design you want to print… and that's it. If the topic of custom T-shirts and copyright interests you, continue reading.
To go from the guide to the catalog, start from the personalized t-shirts page: from there you can choose men's, women's, or children's and configure the quote online.
But is it really possible to print anything on custom T-shirts? And can you sell them without getting into trouble with copyright law?
Let's see, below, what aspects to consider when creating personalized t-shirts for personal use or for sales purposes.
T-shirt copyright: what does copyright law 633/41 say?
In Italy, copyright is governed by Law 633/41. This law is clear, immediately defining which works are protected by copyright:
- figurative, including those belonging to industrial design,
- literal,
- musical,
- architectural,
- theatrical,
- cinematographic,
- photographic (but this does not include photographs of writings, documents, business papers, material objects, technical drawings and the like),
- software,
- intellectual creations, including in the form of databases.
Such works are protected in both visual and written and oral form , and only the copyright holders, or those with their authorization, can publish them.
So it's not possible to print a design on a custom t-shirt?
The answer is… No.
To print copyrighted visual works, whether for sale or otherwise, you must obtain permission from the author.
We recommend first verifying that the author is protected by Law 633/41: here's a list of protected authors. Once verified, if the verification is positive, you can request printing rights through the SIAE website, in two specific ways:
- online on the website www.siae.it. You will need to go specifically to the Online Services (SOL) for Users section;
- using Form 342/AF available in the Forms section of the same site.
If the author gives you permission, then you can print the photo or design on your low-cost custom t-shirts .
So that's it for original works… But what happens if you want to rework a work of art or print a photo you took?
Printing reworked designs and photographs (taken by you) on T-shirts: everything you need to know about it.
If you plan to print a photo on a T-shirt (or a series of T-shirts), you must ensure that the photograph is not copyrighted. If it is, you must obtain permission from the person who took it and, of course, obtain approval.
But what if you are the author of the photo?
Well, please note that you cannot print photographs of works of art or buildings located in public places.
As for your personal drawings, you should know that you can print them, but they must not depict fictional characters created by someone else (for example, cartoon, comic, or manga characters). Or rather, you can do so, but only with the permission of the copyright holder.
What if you want to print an aphorism or a line from a song?
Copyright for printing aphorisms and song lyrics on t-shirts.
Maybe your intention is to give a nice personalized birthday T-shirt with a song quote or a well-known aphorism.
You should know that you need to get the author's consent even to print songs (yes, that's true).
There is an exception for aphorisms: you can print and use them if the author has been deceased for more than 70 years. After that period, relatives can no longer redeem the copyright.
So let's give free rein to the aphorisms of Oscar Wilde, Khalil Gibran, Luigi Pirandello and so on and so forth.
What images can you print on custom t-shirts?
Before printing custom t-shirts you need to pay close attention to copyright.
Graphics you create are welcome, but if they are based on existing fictional characters, you must ask and obtain permission from the copyright holder.
Phrases taken from songs must be properly authorized, while aphorisms can be printed without any request if the author has been dead for more than 70 years.
There's a catch: you can print photos and images that aren't copyrighted, which you can easily find on Google! The search engine actually tells you which photos are copyrighted and which aren't.
To find out, simply click here: "Advanced Image Search", search for the type of image you're looking for by typing it in the "All these words" section and, in the drop-down menu in the Usage Rights section, select an option that allows for commercial or non-commercial reuse.
Easy, right?
So what are you waiting for? Once you've found the photo, image, or quote you're interested in , print your low-cost personalized T-shirts right away at burger-print.nl !
