Old Movie Poster
Old Movie Poster
Would satirizing a old movie poster on a tshirt be in violation of copyright laws?
My friend is designing a t-shirt for an event at his church (not sure if they're selling the shirts). The design involves taking (copy-paste) a photograph of a person from an old movie poster and adding a speech bubble that says the event's theme.
Is this violating any U.S. copyright laws?
What should he do to avoid legal issues if any exist?
It would be more prudent for your friend to seek some other design not relying on copyrighted works of others. It's not quite clear whether your friend's use might fall under Fair Use. If the shirts are not being sold and the use is considered a parody of the copyrighted work or sufficiently transformative, there may be an argument for fair use.
See http://www.copyright.gov/fls/fl102.html which gives examples of uses ("criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research" and of considerations in determining fair use, including "The purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes".
I hope this helps. Feel free to post a question for more free advice on www.copyrightadviser.com
Postman Always Rings Twice Movie Posters and Film Trailer
