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Is it legal to sell artwork containing movie characters or such?
I've seen people on Etsy selling posters containing representative things of movies, TV series or cartoons, like characters, symbols, etc. (not photos but illustrations). Sometimes they also include the name of the character and/or the movie/serie on the poster. Is this legal?
I'm thinking about selling prints too, but still gathering ideas about the topics, content and style.
I don't just look at what other people do to determine what's legal, like Yeti says. I have ideas of my own naturally, but some thoughts also included minimalist representations of characters from TV series with quotations, however I had the feeling this wouldn't be legal at all. Then I found people on Etsy selling prints of famous characters or movies (also in a minimalist way), and this is why I come here to ask about it and don't just go on with this idea and put it into practice.
4 Answers
- LibraryannaLv 77 years agoFavorite Answer
If they have permission, then they can use them. If they don't have permission, it's not criminal, but they can be sued.
Do your own original creations.
Source(s): Retired lawyer - YetiLv 77 years ago
It's not legal without permission.
It's possible to have a work be truly transformative in nature (i.e., be a new standalone work, with different meaning), and not just be a derivative of the original. However, just taking characters and symbols from others' works and even including their name isn't going to be transformative enough.
Not legal. You're almost certain to get your work pulled, and have it all be a waste of your time. And depending on how far you get before you get stopped, you may also get stuck with money damages. You cannot just look at what other people do to determine what's legal.
- JanLv 77 years ago
Only legal if you have permission from the person who owns the copyright on the image.
From personal experience, getting permission is going to cost you a small fortune.
- u_bin_calledLv 77 years ago
To be "legal" you must obtain permission to use any licensed image from whoever owns the rights to it.
