Breaking Bad !

[Dave271069]

is this copyright? or anything to do with the images,
2772 by the way what a series.............................

[ArtyGamer]

Depends on who owns the IP in the first place as to how litigious they're going to be.

What you've got here is the name of the character along with a likeness. So you're using two things linked directly (rather than indirectly) to Breaking Bad, and if they wanted to they'd be able to legally have the design pulled. They also may not care. Some people LIKE when others create fan merchandise. Ultimately, it promotes their IP. Some folk, however, like the people I had to deal with, will come after you for the most ridiculous and trivial things.

[GoonerGary]

It's trademark infringement, trading off the reputation of Breaking Bad. It is also a stolen image assuming this wasn't taken from the official store:

http://www.breakingbadstore.com/heisenmeth-t-shirt/details/29788549

So copyright, trademark infringement and a visit from trading standards.

[pisquee]

An image almost exactly the same as the one on a t-shirt on the official Breaking Bad store? I would assume that the official t-shirt design is copyright, with a licensing agreement in place between Sony Pictures Television and MyPlay Direct, and that the image you have posted is unlicensed and therefore infringing on their IP.

[Dave271069]

Thanks. I was guessing it was but thought the name was not and the image was off something else. This is not something im using but just a question about the face image and text being used in other methods as such

[pisquee]

Bottom line is if it isn't yours then you can't use it without permission

[ArtyGamer]

Bottom line is if it isn't yours then you can't use it without permission

It goes beyond that simplicity though, sadly. I've had designs removed that had absolutely nothing to do with anything within a game, merely because they didn't like that I was selling something that people could vaguely associate with their IP. The design contained no trademarks, no imagery, no likenesses... in fact... nothing whatsoever beyond a four-digit year, a stylised skyline (from a legit city, not a game-based city) and a tagline that I even made up myself. There wasn't a single thing that screamed copyright infringement and probably 90% of the people who played the game wouldn't even have understood what the t-shirt meant... but the fact that 10% of the people COULD was enough for them to stop me from selling it.

What riles me, however, is the number of people who use existing artwork and sell thousands of products with no problem... yet if I create something from scratch with only a tenuous link, they can pull it. It prompted me to pull 81 non-infringing products from my store just in case they did the same with those, while thousands of others can actually rip their stuff off and continue selling. I'd make more money if I were less legit, sadly.

[Frostee]

That image is actually from the show...
Its a sketch that the twins had.

I had friends suggesting I printed it. Ain't gonna risk that one :-P

[GoonerGary]

It goes beyond that simplicity though, sadly. I've had designs removed that had absolutely nothing to do with anything within a game, ...... It prompted me to pull 81 non-infringing products from my store just in case they did the same with those, while thousands of others can actually rip their stuff off and continue selling. I'd make more money if I were less legit, sadly.

Once you have the vero owner's email, there's no harm in dropping them a quick email to inform them of competitors' infringing products ;) hehe.