Legal Question in Intellectual Property in Indiana

Legality of printing a celebrity's name.

Hi,

I understand that it is a violation of copyright and trademark law to do something such as, say, print the AOL logo on a mousepad and sell it.

However, what are the laws surrounding printing simply the name, or a picture that's in the public domain?

For example, if I were to print a T-shirt that says ''I don't like Vin Diesel'' or ''Vin Diesel is my hero,'' would selling it be infringing on copyright or breaking any other laws?

Or, if there was a picture of the celebrity in the public domain, or that I owned the copyright too - if I were to put that on a T-shirt or coffee mug, and sell it, would that be considered legal, or illegal since I didn't have the person pictured permission to do so?

In addition to this, if I had a picture of, say, someone I know or myself, and wanted to put THAT on a piece of merchandise - and there were people in the background - would I be able to print that, so long as they weren't the focus of the image? Or would I need to blur the faces of the people in the background?

Thanks to whoever can help me out!

1 Answer from Attorneys

Related Questions & Answers

More Intellectual Property questions and answers in Indiana

Looking for something else?