# Copyright Issues..



## civictiger (Feb 26, 2010)

Basically.. I am in a Muse tribute band, called Muse-ic

We are playing a show in May to 4,000 people, and we have a dance team of 7 dancers who are performing on stage with us. its a Festival for Tribute bands and new upcoming bands in the midlands.
We basically want to have a t-shirt, with their logo on the back, and ours on the front..

So heres my question..
Is it illegal if we use our logo on the t-shirt? Our logo is a modified Muse logo.. (link below)

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/zz274/muse-ictribute/muse-iclogo2copy.jpg

althought we arent selling the t-shirt, and just using the print, it isnt illegal right? as we have modified the image?
and also, what if we were to decide to make a few t-shirts in the future and sell them, is this allowed?

any advice would be great!

cheers
Andy


----------



## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

Hey Andy, welcome to the forums!

Situations like this tend to have a lot of gray area. And in your case, there are several elements involved... you are using a modified version of the original Muse logo; you are not selling the shirts now, but may in the future; you are a tribute band, so using and selling the modified logo may fall under the parody doctrine. My advice would be to consult an attorney, and/or get permission from The Muse. If you are doing shows that draw 4,000 people, selling t-shirts may be a profitable opportunity for you. It's best to make sure you are doing it legit and not at risk to be sued for infringement.

Hope this helps and good luck with your band and t-shirts!


----------



## civictiger (Feb 26, 2010)

Thankyou for the reply and welcome 

yeahh, well for now we dont plan on selling them.. so would we be okay with printing the logo for a limited amount, for our dancers to wear? as we arent making money off of it it, it isnt illegal, right?

and also, is getting an attorney expensive? is there a cheap way/free way to get their advice on something like this?

and ofcourse, we dont want to be doing anything illegal.. as we are huge muse fans and the last thing we'd want to do is disgust them and get sued!!


----------



## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

civictiger said:


> and ofcourse, we dont want to be doing anything illegal.. as we are huge muse fans and the last thing we'd want to do is disgust them and get sued!!


that would suck!
why not just use your logo without the Muse print on the back. Your logo says it all, that you're a Muse tribute band, you don't need the actual Muse logo on the back.


----------



## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

civictiger said:


> yeahh, well for now we dont plan on selling them.. so would we be okay with printing the logo for a limited amount, for our dancers to wear? as we arent making money off of it it, it isnt illegal, right?


The problem is, if attorneys for The Muse found out about your shirts, they are not going to investigate to find out if you are selling the shirts or giving them away. They will just send a cease and desist letter or they can even sue you. Then you will have to spend money on an attorney to defend yourself and explain your intentions.



civictiger said:


> and also, is getting an attorney expensive? is there a cheap way/free way to get their advice on something like this?


Quite honestly, if you can't afford an attorneys advice, then you can't afford to get sued and should probably avoid the t-shirts altogether.



civictiger said:


> and ofcourse, we dont want to be doing anything illegal.. as we are huge muse fans and the last thing we'd want to do is disgust them and get sued!!


Maybe try to contact the band if possible. They may grant permission for you to use your logo.


----------



## civictiger (Feb 26, 2010)

dude, thats actually not a bad idea.. use our own logo without using theirs.. lol. why didnt I think of that..
I could just use the same/similar text without the two lines above and below the text.. hmm


and yeahh, Kimura.. I guess I'll do that. I'll write to Sam, their manager and give him the low-down on what we want to do.

Thanks guys, means a lot


----------



## kimura-mma (Jul 26, 2008)

civictiger said:


> dude, thats actually not a bad idea.. use our own logo without using theirs.. lol. why didnt I think of that..
> I could just use the same/similar text without the two lines above and below the text.. hmm


Hate to be a pain, but a modified version of The Muse logo could still be considered infringement. It's possible that because you're a tribute band, using a modified logo would be considered parody, but you should consult an attorney for advice.

If you have contact info to the band's manager, that would be the best course of action. You may find they are cool with the idea and grant you permission and then you are good to go.


----------



## civictiger (Feb 26, 2010)

I hope so Kimura!

I've sent them a message via email. thanks for all your help


----------



## designnbuy (Jan 1, 2010)

kimura-mma said:


> Hate to be a pain, but a modified version of The Muse logo could still be considered infringement. It's possible that because you're a tribute band, using a modified logo would be considered parody, but you should consult an attorney for advice.
> 
> If you have contact info to the band's manager, that would be the best course of action. You may find they are cool with the idea and grant you permission and then you are good to go.


You're right kimura! I totally agree with you. There is a big chance for considering it as infringement if even the modified logo of Muse will be used. But an expert attorney can advice properly, as he knows almost all loop- holes. So he can only guide you the right way.


----------

