Copyright of Designs - New T-Shirt Business

[Mary S]

Hi, I am planning to start t-shirt business. How will I know if my designs are already under copyright?

Thanks

 

[John R]

Hi Mary S,
The Australian Copyright Council has an excellent information sheet on t-shirt copyright issues in Australia.
Key points from the Australian Copyright Council information sheet:

• If you are not the copyright owner, you will generally need permission to print an image on t-shirts;
• Making a few changes to someone else’s copyright work is unlikely to mean you don’t need permission to use it;
• You'll need permission from the copyright owner if you want to use a quote that is a "substantial part" of someone else's literary work;
• If copyright has expired in the material, you won’t need permission to use it;
• If you find material on the internet, this doesn’t mean you can use it without permission; and
• The use of existing brand names or slogans is unlikely to be a copyright issue, but may raise issues under trade mark or competition and consumer law.

Good luck on your new venture!