Copyright Infringement

[bobtheenchantedone]

http://theboard.byu.edu/questions/75813/

siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh.

Yes, it is likely that you will get away with making and selling illegal merchandise. But please don't. For one thing, there is always a chance that you are one of the ones they end up going after, which could cost you a lot of money. It's also just not ethical - this is literally illegal. There are laws against this. You may think they're unjust or overreaching or whatever, but they are laws.

It's also just annoying to me and sellers like me. My sister and I could make tons of cash and have lots of traffic and fans if we sold all the Harry Potter, Dr. Who, My Little Pony, etc. ideas that we've come up with/used for gifts and personal items. Other people do sell copyright infringing items and make a goodly amount of money. But instead my sister and I work to come up with original designs - which we then frequently see copied because people now assume they have the right to make money off of other people's work. I have seen people trying to sell duct tape rings with shops full of my pictures, and when I cease-and-desist them some of them think me unfair for not allowing them to use my hours of shooting and editing to set up shop as a competitor. Others have even tried to insist that it isn't (or at the very least, shouldn't be) legal for me to claim ownership of these photos - once they're on the internet, anyone should be able to use them. This kind of thinking is also what leads people to send us hate mail about the fact that we sell our tutorials instead of just freely distributing them.

I don't care if you just want to make some money on the side, just want a hobby, whatever. If you want to sell the items, be original.

[NerdGirl]

Agree.

[Whistler]

I admit, I've bought Adventure Time stuff on Etsy... but how else am I supposed to get a stamp with Gunter on it? I know it's illegal, but I think fanart can have an original take (not just stenciling or tracing designs).

Anyway, keep cease-and-desisting people who rip off your photos. That's lazy AND illegal.

[Portia]

Do you watermark your photos and put a copyright notice at the bottom of every post? Probably wise.

[Digit]

This guy wrote a 416-page textbook on the Vulcan language. I wonder if he has Star Trek's permission.