[Rodney]

Whats Up Everyone!
My First Question Is Does Anyone On This Forum Know Of Any Relabeling Services In The Ny/nj Area? I Mean A Place That Removes The Existing Tags From The Garment And Either Replaces It With Your Tags Or Stitches It Back Up So You Can Screenprint The Label Or Whatever.

Many screen printers will do this for an additional fee at the time they print your garments. Maybe you could call around to local printers and see if they can provide the service or refer you to someone locally that can.

Since a lot of fashion happens in NY, I'm sure there are local companies that can be found.

Question #2:
How Does One Go About Getting Permission To Use Images Of Stars, Political Figures, Etc. On T-shirts. I See Lots Of Different T-shirt Companies Using Images Of Famous People (bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, Biggie Smalls, Etc.) On Their Shirts. While Not Always Very Original Or Creative, They Seem Wildly Popular And I Have A Few Ideas That I Wanted To Play With. Does It Depend On How The Image Is Used And If It Has Been Altered Or Not? Is It A Situation Of Them Just Using The Images And Having To Pay Royalties Later Or Do You Have To Take Steps Beforehand To Get Permission?

"Right to Publicity" laws prohibit people from using another persons likeness on merchandise for sale without permission.

Political figures are exempt from right to publicity laws, which is why you may see lots of Bush or Dick Cheney type t-shirts.

Celebrities often have "celebrity licensing agents" that handle the marketing of their name or image on merchandise. You would need to lookup the contact or agent for the celebrity to find out how to use their image and what the fees are.

Some companies have used celebrity images illegally, and try to fly under the radar. These companies can be sued by the celebrity (or their estate in the case of B.I.G/Tupac or other deceased celebs).

Anyway This Forum Is Great And I Appreciate Any Help Anyone Can Give Me.Peace

Just a friendly tip. Try not to write in ALL CAPS or with Each First Letter In The Word Capitalized because it makes posts harder to read

 

[Rodney]

I don't think spouses or pundits are fair game.

 

[Rodney]

Hey Rod

With the "Right to Publicity" laws does that mean I can't use a Silhouette of an athlete/superstar such as mohammed ali or bruce lee?

If it's recognizable as the athlete/superstar, then you will always have the potential for trouble. Especially since there are big markets selling licensed bruce lee t-shirts and mohammed ali t-shirts.

I've seen people sell tshirts that captures a movie still on ebay and have hundreds of customers. Would it be illegal for me to sell a tshirt that captures an athlete (i.e. a boxing fight still) in action?

Yes, even though you've probably seen it happen, it can still get you into legal trouble.

Some t-shirt stores are only a cease and desist away from pulling a design (a few members here have had that happen).

So even though you may see it done elsewhere, that's no guarantee that it's legal.

BTW, thanks for using the search to find this thread!

 

[Rodney]

Do you have any idea how much it would cost for licensing?

I haven't a clue. I think it depends based on a few factors (how you will use the images, how many t-shirts will be printed, etc, etc).

You could probably find out about it in this website (or conference if you're near NYC):
http://www.licensingshow.com/licensingshow/v42/conference/session.cvn?eID=130