Legal Question in Technology Law in Maryland

What is the legal liability for creating a product from photos of celebrities fo

I have designed T-shirts that contain pictures of celebrities found on the internet. Are there any legal consequences to selling designs containg celebrity pictures found on the internet in local stores? Is the fact that some images are copywritten a factor and if so, how do I determine if it is copywritten. In addition, if the product does well, I plan on marketing and distributing them on a larger scale. Will I be able to patent my designs even though I took these images from the internet? Lastly, is there any liability to selling T-shirts that contain just the name of professional sports teams without the logo(i.e. Ravens)?

Thank you for your time


Asked on 8/09/02, 10:20 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Jeffrey Look Look Law Firm

Re: What is the legal liability for creating a product from photos of celebritie

You are facing huge troubles on a number of fronts. The celebrities have rights of publicity in their names and likenesses which generally means you need their permission to use them commercially. The photos could be copyrighted by someone other than the celebrity and unless there is a photo credit it may be darn near impossible to figure out who owns the copyright, but the copyright owner could find you out and let you know who he or she is with a summons and complaint. Lastly as to professional sports teams, virtually all of them have trademark registrations for clothing goods in both logo and no logo form. I can just about guarantee you that if you start selling Ravens t-shirts, you will hear from the NFL and they probably will not be in a pleasant mood. Sorry for the doom and gloom news, but unless you get licenses from all the appropriate parties, you face a huge financial risks.

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Answered on 8/09/02, 11:09 pm


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