Legal Question in Entertainment Law in New York

Re: copywrite law

I think you probably do. You would have the argument that the amount taken is so small it is fair use. But I think the sales of the shirt for profit would make that hard to sustain.

Normally one can not copyright a line in and of itself, but if its in a copyrighted song, and it is apprent you copied it from that song, I think it is technically copyright infrignement.

Remember, if you make up or take a line from the public domain, even if its the same line as in the song, that is not copyright infringement. Something to think about.