# How to stop Bootleg from happening ?



## coolman775 (Jan 21, 2007)

okay .. I didn't even start selling my t-shirts yet , but i hate the fact that you work so hard for your design , from getting the tradmark for it , and look for screen print people ..and design a website for ..etc .. and over all cost a lot of money .. so that in the end some one just come and bootleg your product .. 

how can I pervent from happening ? is there a smart way to protect your design from them bootleg people .. 

please help .. I am just asking this question because i am not only going to be selling t-shirt , i am looking to expand the business to even bigger stuff .. so that is why I want to know it from the beginning ..


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## queerrep (Jul 18, 2006)

Don't take this the wrong way, but this is probably something you shouldn't be worried with at this stage of the game. You've got to make money from your products before anybody will take notice and want to bootleg you.  

Besides, if the large companies can't do anything to wipe it out there's probably not a whole lot you can do about it either ... unless you want to spend a ton on legal fees.

But definitely trademark and copyright everything so you'll at least have a leg to stand on it court.


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## drewby001 (Aug 15, 2007)

I own a pretty damn small t-shirt company in the mix of it all and i've run into people stealing my designs on 2 occasions. 1 was employees at the retail store below my screen printer(they're connected w/ joint ownership) poorly printing and stealing shirts from my contracted lot and the other was also local. 

I found a batch of shirts with my designs on different brand shirts at a store in milwaukee (that they didn't buy from me) and the management said he was new and didn't know where the shirts came from. I walked out with the shirts in hand. The manager said he called the cops but I didn't stick around to deal with the bs. I knew what was right and didn't need to explain it to anybody.

Based on the timing and quality of the second instance, this was actually 2 separate instances of people stealing my designs. Both of these cases happened within 75 miles of my home shop. So, as a small fry you don't need to worry about a Chinese company ripping you off yet, but be careful who you trust cause it might be your neighbor ripping you off. Even with contracts in order you can't control everything. 

This is probably a worst case scenario, but their's people everywhere looking to make money off of somebody else. I've seen local people selling shepard fairey artwork on t-shirts that sure as hell didn't come from obey clothing or obey giant. It happens and its bull****. Unfortunately, my lesson that I've learned is that I can't trust people like I used to.


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## Daniel Slatkin (Jun 25, 2008)

drewby001 said:


> I found a batch of shirts with my designs on different brand shirts at a store in milwaukee (that they didn't buy from me) and the management said he was new and didn't know where the shirts came from. I walked out with the shirts in hand and he said he called the cops but I didn't stick around to deal with the bs. I knew what was right and didn't need to explain it to anybody.


Although I understand your reaction. You should probably contact legal help because I am sure you probably have a warrant out for your arrest. I am sure the store probably had cameras. It is usually not a good Idea to take the law into your own hands.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

I totally agree with Dan here, taking the shirts and walking out with them was against the law. It might be your design but you didnt own the shirts themselves. The proper way to handle a situation like that is to contact the store owner, find out where he got the shirts and send a cease and desist to that person, and try to work out a resolution with that particular person that sold the shirts to the store. I am sure the owner of the store probably had no idea that is was your design. That is what we have attorneys and courts for, to do things legally within the law.


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## COEDS (Oct 4, 2006)

I agree with Dan and Bobbielee. I know it gets frustrating, but be fllattered that someone else likes your work( then hunt them down and flog them) In all siceruty contact the store manager and owner and tell them of the situation and hope this helps it stop.You can resort to legal action,but the expense will outweigh the gain. ..... JB


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## ino (Jan 23, 2007)

copying someone elses work is the oldest profession in the world, it will always be with us.


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## coolman775 (Jan 21, 2007)

Ok then how about this ...

Because most of customers want always the original work of course .. how about if issuing each t-shirt authentic unique number that goes somewhere in the middle of the tag at the neck (printed tab), and so if the customer want see if the t-shirt is original they can always enter that number on the official website of the t-shirt company and get verify if the t-shirt is original or not .

What you guys think about that?


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

coolman775 said:


> Ok then how about this ...
> 
> Because most of customers want always the original work of course .. how about if issuing each t-shirt authentic unique number that goes somewhere in the middle of the tag at the neck (printed tab), and so if the customer want see if the t-shirt is original they can always enter that number on the official website of the t-shirt company and get verify if the t-shirt is original or not .
> 
> What you guys think about that?


Sounds like a lot of work that most customers won't care about.

I don't know if the extra work involved would be worth the reward. But it's possible and I'm sure it's been done before.


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## ino (Jan 23, 2007)

I think numbering t-shirts would only work if the price is extremly high and in very limited editions. Just like DOC wines.


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## drewby001 (Aug 15, 2007)

Yeah I don't think any store would go through the trouble of issuing an arrest warrant for 15 shirts that they probably knew they bought illegally. 

In the end I decided it would be less expensive and less of a hassle for me to take the shirts from someone that wouldn't give me a straight answer than to deal with a lawyer and cease and desist order. I later found out the 'manager' was actually the owner. So looking back the store owner probably had the shirts printed himself.


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## sunnydayz (Jun 22, 2007)

The problem is that you didn't solve the problem of them being printed over again. Just because you got the shirts that were on a shelf does not resolve the issue of them being printed illegally.


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## Daniel Slatkin (Jun 25, 2008)

My little brother stole a pack of smokes when he was 18, to make a long story short he got pulled over 4 years later and surprise their was a warrant for his arrest. After it was all said and done it cost him $1200 and 40 hrs community service. Most retail stores take shoplifting very serious. I would make sure that I had not gotten myself in trouble it could be a bad surprise later on in life.


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## hextex (Jul 20, 2008)

> Yeah I don't think any store would go through the trouble of issuing an arrest warrant for 15 shirts that they probably knew they bought illegally


Now, define illegally? Because unless you had the exact same design copyrighted how is it illegal? 

The truth is every single one of us has used designs and/or design elements that we have seen elsewhere. If you say you haven't then you're either a liar, or you're incredibly conceited. Almost every person that starts out uses clipart and vector art that we purchase or find laying around on the internet. So say someone else is copying you is giving yourself a lot of credit, where it probably don't belong. 





> In the end I decided it would be less expensive and less of a hassle for me to take the shirts from someone that wouldn't give me a straight answer than to deal with a lawyer and cease and desist order.


This makes you judge, jury and executioner(so to speak) and taking the objects from the store by force (stealing) doesn't right the wrong that was allegedly committed in the first place. It actually makes you a thief as well. 

Don't take it the wrong way, I am not bashing you at all. I just think you maybe acted a little hastily.


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## plan b (Feb 21, 2007)

If you know who it is then confront them face to face, if you do that most of the time there won't be a next time,,


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## coolnammy1 (Jun 19, 2008)

Print in the US!! A lot of oversea companies will save your design so that they can alter and print later. Remember, US trademarks have little to no effect overseas!!

Also, if your logo is REALLY easy to draw (like adidas), people will be able to tell the difference between real and bootleg


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## Rodney (Nov 3, 2004)

As others have stated before, there is no real way to "stop" it from happening. You can only try to get them to stop after the fact.

Rather than turn this thread into a big debate about "should you try to stop them" or "if anything should be copyrighted", it's best that I close this thread out.

The official US Copyright office is at: U.S. Copyright Office

The official US Trademark office is at: Trademarks

Here's an interesting quote from a past thread about this subject:



Solmu said:


> People need to realise copyright protection, etc. is a knife, not a shield. It's to punish people with after the fact, nothing can stop someone from copying your work if that's what they choose to do. As with a real knife, if you lack the resources or the stomach to use it, it won't particularly help you... though occasionally brandishing it a bit can scare people off. And as with a real knife if you try using it on a bigger, meaner target (like Walmart for example) they'll take it off you and club you in the head with it.


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