choppergil

I have decided on a name and I have all my design made now what should be my next step so i am safe? Should I see a lawyer? Should I copyright just my name or all my designs. Im ready to get started selling but i want to make sure my product is safe. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Gil

 

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cyclonearts

You can copyright and trademark your stuff but unless your label blows real quick and everyone wants to copy your designs that might not neccessarily be the NEXT step you should take. Some might consider it the most important thing but I say set up shop and try selling a few shirts. If you start seeing success, go for the legal protection.

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Rodney

This isn't legal advice...just my opinion.

You really can't safeguard your designs like you would safeguard your car with a lock.

Unscrupulous or unknowing people can see your idea and take it even if you have an official trademark or copyright registered.

A copyright/trademark will help you get damages in court if you decide to hire a lawyer to defend your copyright/trademark. It can sometimes get people to stop "after the fact" if you find them and pursue it.

There's no "lock" you can put on your designs to prevent theft. You can only register them to prove that they are yours so that you can take legal action in the future.

I think people often get too caught up on the idea of people stealing their designs.

I think you should try and actually sell some designs. See if people even want to buy them.

By all means, if you have the budget for trademark applications and copyright applications, you should go for it.

But if you don't have the budget for it right off (and you don't have the budget to hire a lawyer to sue someone if they did take your design), then don't let that stop you from getting out there and marketing your stuff.

Again, this isn't legal advice, just my opinion.

That's the way I got started. I just got some t-shirts printed with my design and started selling. When I saw they were selling and after I had built up a bit of a "name" for my designs, then I registered a trademark. Even then, the trademark was initially rejected (but later approved).

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Medicalteesman

In business for 8 years with over 125 original designs.

You can't really protect them. I put the copyright symbol on all my shirts, but people from places like cafepress ( nothing against cp, they are just the protoype of that industry in my mind) sites just slightly modify them and then sell them.

It is very expensive to pursue rippoff artists, so I just accept the problem and sell the best original product I can.

I have written to some blatant copiers, asking them to stop. About 1 out of 3 actually do.

Brad

 

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