So this is not how I expected to start my Thanksgiving, but since people don’t want to listen. I’m going to put this out there,

So way back in 2020, I wrote a broad overview about Copyright/Trademark and why it matters.

You can find that post here, https://octojellycrochetstudio.com/?p=224 .

Given the recent Shop Bans on TikTok, I figured it was time for another post on the subject.

I have a very well know policy when it comes to all things with a copyright and/or trademark. I avoid them with a million foot pole.

Companies like Disney do not play when it comes to anything to do with their brand. They will take your business, you house, anything of monetary value to make up for the money you made off their product that they didn’t get a cut of.

They’ve gone after schools for painting Disney images on the wall. Google it if you don’t believe me.

Anytime you are going to have a known trademarked character on you product, check the copyright/trademark/license for parent companies rules on the matter.

Disney will let you sell their product, for a cost, though that varies greatly depending on the product. Disney is considerate enough to have an entire website devoted to this topic. Here’s the link : https://www.disneystudiolicensing.com/

Most companies will let you sell their product for a fee, I just use Disney as an example because it’s one of the best well known.

Famous people, such as Taylor Swift, have trademarked themselves. Their images, lyrics, and their own products all fall under this umbrella. If you are interested in using them in your product, you will have to see if they’ve been trademarked first. This link is a good place to start: https://www.uspto.gov/trademarks/search#:~:text=You%20may%20conduct%20a%20free,conduct%20searches%20for%20a%20fee.

Now, there are companies that have what’s call a Fan Content Policy. Wizards of the Coast has a fairly well known one, that’s to their attempt of reverse it earlier this year. You can view that here: https://company.wizards.com/en/legal/fancontentpolicy This policy lets you make product based on their products, as long as you follow their really basic rules. If you’re making DnD (Dungeons and Dragons) product, you’ll also want to read the OGL, that can be found here, https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/1423-an-update-on-the-open-game-license-ogl

The point of this is that if you’re going to do this, without the proper research, without really considering the legal ramifications of doing this the right way, you DO NOT get to be upset when your shop/listing gets taken down.