[Bougie]

Do you need permission to parody brand name products?
I saw a t-shirt that had adidas stripes and it said "addicted."
Another t-shirt said "****tles."
Don't you need permission for these things?
I remember reading that wacky packages had to get permission
for each product that it parodied.

 

[Twinge]

There are a lot of parodies that are not made legally but aren't 'big enough' that the respective companies notice or care to sue, basically Except for like, Harley Davidson and Disney... they sue at the drop of a hat.

 

[chm]

Except for like, Harley Davidson and Disney... they sue at the drop of a hat.

Yes, this is very true about Disney.

No, they didn't sue me!

chm

 

[DickTees.net]

I got my first cease and desist order from Coca-Cola this morning via certified letter for our shirt Cola-Cocks (targeted at the University of South Carolina Gamecock fans). They have given us 30 days to respond and send in any existing merchandise we have so that they may dispose of it. I do plan on honoring their requests, it's not worth the hassle. There is a fine line between a "parody" and infringement on trademarks. I think people think they can hide behind the term "parody" and it makes everything alright. Larry Flynt got away with it because he had deep pockets.

 

[Chido01]

I agree with that about Larry Flynt, Jay

Maybe I should take out my Disney parody, before getting the infamous cease and desist letter... Apparently, they protect their rights pretty fiercely, although no one seems to be protecting the Haitian workers who make Pocahontas t-shirts for Disney, which Disney then sells for roughly the same amount of money that it pays each of those workers for every workweek of making an average of 375 t-shirts per hour...

Anyway, I really liked your 'Intercourse 69' tee; it's a very clever pun

 

[Solmu]

Maybe I should take out my Disney parody, before getting the infamous cease and desist letter...

If I was in your position (i.e. running a parody site) I would be collecting Cease and Desist letters - it is, to a certain extent, another measurement of how effectively you're doing your job. Granted that's because I can be immature and irresponsible though... it's certainly a really bad idea from a legal perspective... funny though.

Of course if the C&D gets CC'd to your webhost or payment provider or t-shirt manufacturer you may not get a chance to collect more than one Or they could just skip past the C&D since they're not required, just common practice.