Is It Legal to Promote Sanders 2016 w/T-Shirts and Caps?

[DemocraticSocialist8]

I'm thinking about printing up some shirts and caps for my t-shirt company to promote the Sanders campaign. I don't know if I can do it however...whether I can't at all or whether I have to get permission from the campaign first. Can anyone help me out? I was thinking about promoting it as an offer where 50% of the sales will go to the Sander's campaign.

[GReedDiamond]

1. You need to get permission...

...from the Sanders Campaign.

Especially if you're thinking about using any of Bernie's graphics.

I've been involved in printing graphics on tee shirts and everything else since 1977.

I would seek permission from the "Official Bernie" campaign to do what you want to do.

What reason would there be, not to do that?

[DemocraticSocialist8]

2. True

Well I know people write books about politicians without getting their permission. I wasn't talking about using their logo or even a picture of Bernie. Just something that was a call to action for people to join the revolution and it would have Sanders 2016 on it. I guess I should find a way to contact them anyway just to be sure.

[GReedDiamond]

3. Actually, what you describe as what you want to do...

...no logos, no pics...I'm not a lawyer...just a lowly graphic designer/screenprinter and etc...but that sounds legit...1st Amendment and all that.

Especially if you contributed 50% to Bernie.

[Live and Learn]

4. Lots of people have done that. In fact, most of the graphics are on public domain and perfectly

legal to use. People have even been selling their own shirts and pins at his rallies with no problems.

As volunteers, we often make our own pins and buy shirts cheaply in mass in order to give them away or at least make them cheaper. We started doing it because it was so difficult (and expensive) to get the materials from the campaign since we aren't in one of the first states and they are so backlogged.

The only thing we have been told to be careful of is adhering to FCC regulations when printing flyers and ensuring we say that the flyer was not endorsed by the campaign and to place the information of who paid for the materials in a box. The campaign readily allows you to use Bernie's campaign logos for the flyers though.

[DemocraticSocialist8]

7. Great. So I'll get started!

[Bernin4U]

8. Have you seen that they actually are public domain?

It's possible, but I'd be surprised if they didn't own the rights to their images.

It would be one thing to allow people to go ahead and use them freely to some extent. But I'd think they'd still want to maintain the overall control and protections of its usage. Just as "freeware" software may be free for your own personal use, but you can't simply rename it and start selling it as your own.

If not using his images (or misleadingly close copies of), then it should be no problem to do whatever you want.

[DemocraticSocialist8]

10. I actually wasn't going to use their images

I was just going to use 'Sanders 2016' and maybe the slogan "Feel the Bern." I checked already and there doesn't seem to be a copyright on that slogan. But I wouldn't even need to do that. I was going to hire a graphic designer to throw something together without using their images.

[Live and Learn]

11. Yes, many if not most of the images created for Bernie have been donated freely by the artists

to the public domain. Bernie supporters just seem to be like that. Many of the Bernie songs are free also.

[OutNow]

5. cafepress.com

There are several hundred different tshirts, yard signs, posters, etc. that support Bernie Sanders for sale on the www.cafepress.com web site.

There are even some progressives that are now selling non-official Bernie stuff. Please see http://radicaljack.com/besaforpr.html

Go for it. Feel the Bern.

[Art_from_Ark]

6. Just don't include any pictures of old guys

wearing caps that have fuzzy American Legion logos on them

[Mufaddal]

9. "Ya Boy Bernie Sanders" does this with stickers and buttons

You should check with him on twitter @yaboyberniesand

He gives all proceeds to the campaign AFAIK.

[Live and Learn]

12. We do it too but we don't make anything off of them. We sell them at cost or give them away just to

get Bernie stuff out there.

[marlakay]

13. We had a artist do a painting of him

And did our own didnt have to ask. She painted redwoods next to pic and it says Humboldt for Bernie.

You can't ask a set price you have to say suggested donation or you will be taxed. We use all the money to recycle and get more Bernie stuff.

We also have lots of pubs in area giving proceeds on debate night to Bernie.

Cafe press has tons of designs so people must be able to do their own. You probably just can't use their pics.