[sinnednyc]

I'm making a first round of t-shirts, I've got a company name/logo and it's going to be on the label inside the shirts, should I register this logo and put a copyright symbol on the label? Can I put a copyright symbol on the label w/o registering it? Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Rodney]

It'll probably be best if you read the posts that have already been made about copyrighting and trademarking:

http://www.t-shirtforums.com/general-t-shirt-selling-discussion/t59530.html

copyright related topics at T-Shirt Forums

trademark related topics at T-Shirt Forums

U.S. Copyright Office

Trademarks

As to if you "should", that's totally up to you.

 

[ReThink Clothing]

getting copyright and trademarks are expensive and a long *** process. If the business shows signs of wgoing well then I would reccomend stepping it up.

 

[evolvebranding]

getting copyright and trademarks are expensive and a long *** process. If the business shows signs of wgoing well then I would reccomend stepping it up.

copyright once business is successful otherwise be spending alot of money of this.

 

[leonyu]

i agree that there is no need to register at the beginning stage, but you need to check the trademark (logo) is registered or not.

Otherwise you will be in big trouble once your business runs well.

 

[andreeaa]

i agree with all of the above advice... there's a difference between copyriting and trademarking Whats the difference between copyright and trademark

 

[frankenstein]

You have just started your business and you want to put a copyright mark on that.

I think you should first check out that someone else have not used your symbol or have the copyrights of your symbol or logo, because if someone else have the copyrights for your symbol then you have to change it.

One more thing if you have not registered the symbol then you can not put a copyright mark on your label.

 

[kimura-mma]

You have just started your business and you want to put a copyright mark on that.

I think you should first check out that someone else have not used your symbol or have the copyrights of your symbol or logo, because if someone else have the copyrights for your symbol then you have to change it.

I think you mean Trademark, not Copyright.

Trademarks are for logos, brand names, etc. Copyrights are for works of art, such as t-shirt designs.

One more thing if you have not registered the symbol then you can not put a copyright mark on your label.

When claiming the rights to a trademark, the ™ symbol can be used at any time. The ® symbol can only be used when the mark is officially registered with the US Trademark Office.

When claiming the rights to a copyright, the © symbol can be used at any time.

 

[promoproducts]

I'd wait until you know if the business is successful or not then look into it. It's a long and expensive process.

Good Luck,
Sarah

 

[Corel Whisperer]

This post is from 2008, it will be interesting to see if he post back to let us know how he is doing. However he has only had 6 post in all this time…my guess is he hasn’t been her much since then.

 

[ryan barker]

i always thought the encircled 'c' meant that it's an international copyright, as opposed to just the 'c'. i'll have to check back into that. that's the way i understood it about 12 years ago when i wrote a book, at any rate.

 

[LEVELMAN1]

I've been under the impression that once you've put your "mark" or "trademark" on an item, or invented an item and there was proof of when it was made, you were pretty well covered if it ever came down to going to court over it. PLEASE correct me if I am wrong!!
Also, while I'm here, being a newbie, I'm sure I am asking some ridiculous questions, but, if 100% pre-shrunk cotton still shrinks a little, is there a need to wash the shirts before putting a silk screen print on them?
Thanks for your patience.

 

[kimura-mma]

I've been under the impression that once you've put your "mark" or "trademark" on an item, or invented an item and there was proof of when it was made, you were pretty well covered if it ever came down to going to court over it.

When you sell a product that features your mark (brand name or logo), you can claim rights to that mark as a common law trademark. You do not need to officially apply for a federal registration for common law rights to exist.

But, common law trademark is usually restricted to the states where the product was sold. So the ownership rights of the mark can be somewhat limited. Also, it can be sometimes be tough to prove ownership if a case goes to court.

The value of a federal trademark registration is that it is on public record and is valid in all states. So while common law trademark can be useful, it should never be considered a valuable substitute for a federal registration.

Inventions are protected by patents, not trademarks. The process is different and I don't believe there is such a thing as common law patent.

 

[binki]

put a TM next to your logo and you are done. That is a common law trademark, generally unenforceable outside of your area where you sell.

If you want the circle R you will need to register it.

You wouldn't copyright it if it is a logo or brand.