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Create And Sell Fan Art Without Breaking Copyright Law

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Creating Fan Art Through Print On Demand

Imagine you thought of a great Star Trek design and wanted to sell it on T-shirts. In most cases you'ld be out of luck since you would either be breaking copyright law or stepping in very hazy legal territory regarding how that law applies to parody. But, by working through a print on demand service that has special permission to publish fan-designed products, you CAN design and sell products related to TV shows (like Star Trek), movies, video games, and more!

Print on demand services (PODS) allow artists to put their own designs on items like shirts, mugs, and posters and then sell them through their own shop and/or the PODS' marketplace. The print on demand services set up digital mock-ups so customers can see how the product will look with the artwork. Then they print and ship products when customers order them, and the artist earns a commission.

Some Print on Demand services have made deals with TV Stations, movie producers, and other groups to let their artist contributors provide fan-created art to sell through the PODS. Usually there are specific rules on what types of designs will be accepted and how their copyrighted content can be used.

Read on to find out about various PODS participating in these types of partnerships.



Zazzle Fan Portal

Right now Zazzle just has a fan portal for Sony Music. Below is a list of the songs from Sony Music that they are accepting designs for. Make sure to follow their design guidelines.

* Ain't Gonna Bump No More With No Big Fat Woman
* Alone
* Burnin' For You
* Burning Love
* Come Together
* Crazy
* Girls Just Want To Have Fun
* Heartbreak Hotel
* Hit Me With Your Best Shot
* Hush
* I Can't Stop Loving You
* I Fought The Law
* I Love The Nightlife
* King Of The Road
* Like A Virgin
* Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
* Spooky
* Stand By Me
* Suspicious Minds
* True Colors
* Tutti Frutti



And here's a few examples of what other artists have done...

Sony ATV Boot Infant T-Shirt shirt

Burning Love sonyatv shirt GJWTH Chocolate Sticker sticker Cyndi Lauper: True Colors mug

CafePress Fan Portals

CafePress has a myriad of Fan Portals that artists can design for. Each has separate guidelines, so make sure to visit their Fan Portal Page and read the rules to the specific portals you want to design for.

Movies:
A Christmas Story
Animal House
CaddyShack
Dazed and Confused
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
ELF: THE MOVIE
Half Baked
The Hunger Games
Knocked Up
National Lampoon's
...Christmas Vacation
Red Riding Hood Movie
Scarface
Shaun of the Dead
Sixteen Candles
The 40 Year-Old Virgin
The Big Lebowski
The Breakfast Club
The Hangover
THE HANGOVER PART II
The Land Before Time
The Polar Express
The Twilight Saga
Trick R Treat
The Wizard of Oz
Universal Monsters

Books
The Magicians

Games:
Alan Wake
Mortal Kombat Klassic

Organizations:
U.S. Marine Corps
Funny or Die



TV Shows

90210 (the new series)
All My Children
Amazing Race
American Idol
America's Best
...Dance Crew
America's Funniest
...Home Video
America's Next Top Model
Army Wives
Big Bang Theory
Brothers & Sisters
Captain Planet
..and the Planeteers
Card Sharks
Castle
Cheers
Chilly Willy
Chuck
Code Lyoko
Cougar Town
Courage the
...Cowardly Dog
Cow & Chicken
Criminal Minds
CSI: Las Vegas
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Dancing With the Stars
Desperate Housewives
Dexter
Dexter's Laboratory
Ed, Edd n Eddy
Extreme Makeover
...Home Edition
Family Feud
Fringe
General Hospital
Ghost Whisperer
Gilmore Girls
Gossip Girl
Greek
Grey's Anatomy
I am Weasel
Johnny Bravo
Let's Make A Deal
LOST
Mad Magazine
Make It Or Break It
Match Game
Medium
Melissa & Joey
Melrose Place
...(new & original series)
Mike and Molly
NCIS
NCIS: Los Angeles
Nikita
Numb3rs
One Life to Live
One Tree Hill
Press Your Luck
Price Is Right
Private Practice
Revenge
Samurai Jack
Saturday Night Live
Schoolhouse Rock!
Scrubs
Seinfeld
Smallville
Star Trek
Supernatural
Survivor
Team Coco
The Bachelor
The Bachelorette
The Brady Bunch
The Closer
The Grim Adventures
..of Billy and Mandy
The Hangover
The L Word
The Mentalist
The Middle
The Secret Life of
...the American Teenager
The Vampire Diaries
The Voice
Two and a Half Men
V: The Television Series
Wipeout
Woody Woodpecker



Below are some examples of the types of designs made by CafePress artists using the Star Trek fan portal.
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I love comments! Please share what you think!

  • Greekgeek Aug 24, 2011 @ 10:41 pm | delete
    Oooooh, fanTASTic!

    I love making fanart. Selling fanart instead of having to keep it to myself and my friends? What a concept!
  • dogface Jul 6, 2011 @ 11:21 pm | delete
    The text columns look very good on this lens. :)

    And as for this lens itself, this is just what I have been looking for. Thanks! Do you by any chance know where I could submit Donald Duck and other Disney related designs?
  • goldenecho Jul 7, 2011 @ 12:52 am | delete
    Thanks! And wish I had an answer to your question. As far as I know Disney hasn't made any partnerships like this which allow fans to make and sell designs...and they are very protective of their content. I suppose you could try submitting them straight to Disney and seeing if they are anything they might want to use and pay you for.
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goldenecho

I'm an artist and webmaster and mother of three. I make lenses on Squidoo to earn donations for charities which support causes I care about.

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