
Unsplash offers a range of photography photos that can be used. Although most images can be used for commercial use some do have restrictions so read carefully and always double check. Wikimedia Commons is one of the largest public domain image resources. There are a number of public domain websites that list images that can be used for personal and commercial uses. For example, Vincent Van Gough's Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat (1887) was released into the public domain by the met in 2017. Public domain includes artworks that have expired from their copyright. But for a safe answer: you can print anything on a t-shirt that is under public domain without infringing copyright laws. This is a very sweeping question and the answer will depend on the specific circumstances. It can vary depending on the type of work, but copyright protection usually lasts up to 70 years after the creator's death. Motion pictures and other audiovisual works.

Pictorial, graphic and sculptural works.Dramatic works, including any accompanying music.Musical works, including any accompanying words.This means it must be a product of your own skill and labour and it must have been expressed in a physical form.Ĭopyright laws differ slightly across different countries but in the US it includes 'works of authorship' which include the following categories: For work to be protected by copyright it needs to be both original and tangible. What is copyright?Ĭopyright is a legal right that protects the use of the creator's work once their idea has been physically expressed. You're always best consulting a copyright lawyer/attorney for advice on your specific circumstances. In this article we'll run through some copyright FAQs and give you some insight into how this whole thing works.ĭisclaimer: Although we can give you an overview of the rules, this article does not constitute legal advice. So it's important to get clued up on the ins and outs of copyright before you go ahead and start selling t-shirts with images of your favourite musician. And as the Latin phrase goes “ignorantia juris non excusat” - or for us non-Latin speakers - ignorance of the law excuses not.

With all this simplicity it can be easy to forget about the very tricky issue of copyright. It enables entrepreneurs to outsource everything from product sourcing to print and fulfilment.

With print on demand, selling t-shirts online has never been easier.
