[tea shert]

How Can I Preven My T-shirt Design From Being Stolen By Other T-shirt Makers

Like If I Design A Parody Shirt...and Its Not Out There, Then How Do I Protect It From Being Stolen And Used By Other T-shirt Companies

Is There A Govmt Site I Need To Register Designs With Or What?

 

[Rodney]

It's always best to talk to a lawyer about copyright or trademark protection of your designs, since they can give you more "official" answers.

I am not a lawyer, but I have gone through the trademark process, and I can tell you this:

There is a big difference between a copyright and a trademark.

Most designs and slogans cannot be trademarked.

You can copyright an image, but there are several qualifications on what can and can't be copyrighted and what can and can't be trademarked.

Trademarks are much more expensive than copyrights (trademarks run $300+ per mark and copyrights can run about $20 for official registration).

You can read more about both on the official websites:

The US Copyright office website is: http://www.copyright.gov/

The US Trademark office website is: http://www.uspto.gov/