Legal Question in Business Law in Washington
Selling Crafts that include Licensed Products
I make and sell wooden door hangers and framed plaques for Kid's Rooms. Can I use licensed stickers and scrapbook embellishments in the items I sell? (i.e., Disney characters, Professional Sports Teams Logos, etc.)
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: Selling Crafts that include Licensed Products
Short answer to your question is no. You need to get a license from each of the entities which own the trademarks/copyrights in the different logos, characters, etc., that you intend to use.
Re: Selling Crafts that include Licensed Products
The answer to your question lies in the question itself. If you plan to use "licensed stickers" by definition you need to pay a licensing fee. That said, there are certain images that are not protected or whose copyrights and trademarks have expired. You may not want to use them-there's probably a reason they were not renewed or the companies that hold the rights have gone under leaving such images in the public domain- but they are out there.
Very often, depending on whose licensed images you want to use, you can hire an attorney to negotiate licensing rights. Although it will vary from company to company, I think you'll find it difficult to make a deal with companies like Disney, given that they will want to carefully control how their images are used and marketed. The same goes for pro sports teams.
Ultimately, if you are serious, and if you are talking about serious production numbers, as opposed to a home based hobby-business, then get in touch with local counsel to help you get your plans put into action.
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