what Copyright & trademark laws mean for you as a creator
“Help, Shinah!! Someone wants to pay me to write their wedding song lyrics in calligraphy… is this allowed, or am I going to get in copyright trouble?”- Shinah
The Short Answer? You might be violating copyright law, buuuuuut you probably won’t get in trouble for this one job.
The Long Answer? It’s complicated. I’ll try and explain it in easy terms (and keep myself from putting on my former lawyer hat too much 🤓)
In this week's episode, I’m nerding out on all things copyright & trademark. I’ll share my hopefully plain-English, not-too-boring explanation of both. We’ll discuss:
The definition of Copyright & Trademark and the difference between the two
Which one affects you more as a creator
The potential copyright and trademark laws you could violate when selling things containing lyrics, quotes, poems, etc.
I’ll also share my own experiences with both & explain exactly how “The Hunger Games” almost shut down one of my first *genius* business ideas- selling scarves and cowls on Etsy (let’s just say I’m happy I found calligraphy amidst my piles of yarn and knitting needles😂).
**Disclaimer- I am currently a practicing lawyer with the California Bar. This is NOT personalized legal advice, only my personal experience as a calligrapher and business owner
New “Profitable Calligraphy” 1-Hr Workshop
Learn how to go from Beginner to Side Hustle in just 6 Months!
FOLLOW SHINAH:
Follow along with my Radical Business Experiment of 2023 over on Instagram: @crookedcalligraphy
SUBSCRIBE:
Love podcasts? Listen to The Shinah Show wherever you get your podcasts, and leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!