Copyright and Trademark Infringement

On occasion I get asked why I stopped selling certain items. 

Mostly Harry Potter, Supernatural, Walking Dead, etc. 

- Why would an Etsy shop owner stop selling her best sellers? 

Hmmm.  Excellent question. 

I didn't know much about something called Copyright and Trademark Infringement when I posted my "inspired by" pieces.  And then I learned very quickly. 

- Do I want to make Harry Potter and other non-public domain book page necklaces?  YES!  A million and ten times yes.

However, I'm finding myself in the middle of a gray area.  Can I make these Harry Potter book page necklaces.  Probably.  Minus the Harry Potter tags, names, quotes, etc.  That's the problem with (C) and (T) infringements.  Did you know that Warner Brothers owns a copyright on the character's names?  Yup. 

- But you are considering using the books...

Thus the gray area. 

Do I cut out pieces of the books and enter into that gray area?  Do I sell them on Etsy and run the risk of my shop getting shut down? 

- But there are so many Harry Potter items already being sold on Etsy.

Does that make them legal?  No.  Not unless they are licensed to sell these items.  And I'm not.  I couldn't afford the money needed to even attempt getting that license. 

But I do know one thing: I'm not about to intentionally run the risk of getting my Etsy shop shut down.   I know better.  I cannot sell (C) and (T) items on online selling sites. 

Although it does mean that I won't feel guilty about cutting up any of the Harry Potter books. 

A

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unexpected Discoveries - Homemade Things from Fruit

Image
This weekend I went to a birthday party for a two year old.  His mother, one of my oldest friends - Shelia - has a little bit of a creative thumb.  Now, if you are handy with a knife you might want to take note.  The Theme: Luau Item #1 This might look like an ordinary pineapple...but you know I wouldn't be blogging about it if it was only an ordinary pineapple.  That's because inside this pineapple is a jar of dip.  It's simple.  Get a pineapple.  Cut off part of the pineapple leaving the leaves and about an inch, an inch and a half of pineapple.  And remove the insides.  Don't be wasteful.  Use the pineapple.  It's really good raw or grilled or in a fruit salad. Item #2 I shall call him Sharkie.  Why?  Because that's the first thing I thought of just right now.  He is a carved watermelon.  Obviously.  He also has some Swedish Fish as his food.  Or for the evil humans to eat. Once again, cut off part of the watermelon, this ti
Read more

Left-Handed Calligraphy - Getting Started

Image
A little intimidating... I'm not going to pretend to know what I'm doing.  The last time I picked up my mother's fountain pen was in the 6th grade and I'd signed up for Calligraphy Club. They didn't have a book club at that point. Photography didn't inspire me. But being able to shape letters and words into something pretty... that interested me. I was the only leftie in a group of six.  The teacher had no clue how to help me. And, admittedly, my middle school scrawl wasn't the best.  It was painstakingly correct and clear, but when I was allowed to form my own style things improved. ...Back to the present day... Pigma Brush Pen Set We've all seen the fancy lettering on Facebook, Instagram, and other places.  That just fascinates me. So much like other endeavers - the Morse Code bracelets for example - I've spent my time (and some limited resources) in an attempt to try my hand at lettering. My first set of brus
Read more

Making Paper Roses

Image
If you've been following my instagram and FB pages (ABookwormCreates for both - links on main page) you'll notice I'm going book page craft crazy. I mean besides the book page pendants that are a staple in the ABookwormCreates etsy shop. Currently punching out confetti (perfect for the remains of the pages punched out for pendants) (found in BookwormQuotes etsy shop) and creating paper roses (not yet listed anywhere) are my current addictions. See.  Aren't they pretty.  The colored ones are printer paper sprayed with Tim Holtz Distress Spray Stain. I'd rather not continue practicing with book pages.  I lucked out with the Anne of Green Gables book page rose. So what do you need to make your own? A tutorial for starters.  There are so many on Pinterest for more than just roses.  You might want to look for one that has more than 4 roses behind her belt and I won't be insulted if you searching for one, but if you stick around I can add my b
Read more