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Dr Seuss Clipart

SignosaurusRex

Active Member
I am looking for some dr seuss clip art. Does anybody know where I can find any?
I believe all "Dr. Seuss images are intellectual property of Broderbund Software and Random House books. You will need to contact them directly for licensed rights to reproduce any images created by Theodore Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss). My guess is that you would be shelling out a serious amount of $$ in order to reproduce images or get hit pretty hard between the ocular marbles as well as other locations of your being if you fail to garner a license ....and go ahead with any image reproductions.
 

Bobby H

Arial Sucks.
I'm amazed that some sign companies show little to no hesitation producing graphics that use things like characters from animated Disney movies or other cartoons. I've seen businesses literally incorporate well known national brands into their own logos. Just the other day I saw a roofing company incorporate the "DC" from one of DC Comics' previous logos into their own company logo. If they stick with that look for any length of time at all it will take just one Google Image Search query from the wrong person for them to get busted for trademark infringement.
 

WildWestDesigns

Active Member
I'm amazed that some sign companies show little to no hesitation producing graphics that use things like characters from animated Disney movies or other cartoons.

At this point, I'm really not anymore. We've had long term members on here with (according to them) decades experience that will do this. Some don't even care that it's against the law. In general (not just here), some believe that because they haven't been caught (or if the likelihood of them being caught is very low), that it isn't that big of a deal.

I do have to wonder if they are able to create original pieces or if they are just replicators only? Not saying in of itself, being a replicator only is wrong/bad/whatever, it's just all how "you" go about doing it. They may not just be replicators and are capable of producing original pieces, but then I have to wonder what the rational is for them ripping off others? Might just be as simple as a quick buck, I dunno. Just wondering here.
 

Johnny Best

Active Member
What they said...
grinch.jpg
 

Bobby H

Arial Sucks.
I sure don't recommend a day care use Disney characters. We had one here locally that had a exterior wall mural with some gorilla characters from the Disney animated movie version of Tarzan. Amazingly somehow Disney found out about it and forced the day care to paint over the wall. This was over a decade ago, before social media became really popular. Another local business tried incorporating the "Hard Rock" lettering portion of the Hard Rock Cafe logo into their brand, a company selling kitchen remodels, specializing in granite counter surfaces. The people who own the Hard Rock brand found out about it and sued, forcing them to change the style of lettering to something else. I seem to remember the company having to pay a fairly painful judgment penalty too. It was not a cost free violation.

Sign companies can toss ethics out the window regarding the use of trademarks and intellectual property. But they do it at their own risk. It's pretty sleazy to sell what amounts to unlicensed merchandise. It's just morally wrong. Most who insist on doing it anyway do so, assuming they'll never get caught. Around here the excuse is "we're only in Lawton, no one is ever going to notice." I've personally seen enough examples where the violations do get noticed and lead to trouble. Google, Facebook and so many other Internet outlets make it pretty easy for trademark and copyright violations pop up from anywhere, no matter how remote the location.
 
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WildWestDesigns

Active Member
I sure don't recommend a day care use Disney characters. We had one here locally that had a exterior wall mural with some gorilla characters from the Disney animated movie version of Tarzan. Amazingly somehow Disney found out about it and forced the day care to paint over the wall.

That's the downside with trying to skirt paying one's lb of flesh for these things.

Now, I've seen some companies have made it such where the lines are blurred. I've seen companies load up files of their own characters on embroidery machines and that leads to people's incorrect conclusions that they can do what they want with those designs since they bought that special edition version of the machine. It's an erroneous conclusion, but I can understand how the layman can come to it. And that doesn't help that companies' situation one bit.
 

ikarasu

Active Member
I'd like to sell wall murals and decorate kids rooms with all their favorite cartoon characters. I don't like signs so much as I like wraps and printing "cool" stuff.

I did a set for my sisters kids nursery... I'd gladly have paid for the art so I could do so, but I couldn't. I'd never sell it, I even felt bad about doing it for a family member... But doing it for free with no proffit is where I drew the line... although I know I should have drew it further and just not done it.

I wish the companies produced "Approved" images that you could use for stuff like this. I could buy, or pay monthly for certain photos... and do up all the hospitals, kids room, etc. It'd be a dream job! I looked into it... but it's impossible with the way things are now. Disney in particular... You need to submit to them exactly what you intend on doing with the image, send them samples... prove to them you are the manufacturer and you're not outsourcing, along with jumping through tons of hoops... paying a substantial fee, along with a percent of profits. Pretty much unless you a multi-million dollar company focussed solely on this type of work... it'll never happen.

Music... every radio station, movie studio, and many other agencies pay a licensing fee. Depending on what they do with the music, it may become a bigger fee... But they don't need to call every single artist or production company and ask for permission to use it.They have guidelines and rules telling them what they can, and can't do.

Hopefully one day printing will become like that. Do a search on Amazon for mickey mouse decal. Even walmart.com... All the major places are opening themselves up to outside sellers, 90% of whats listed isn't authorized and shouldn't be up... I'm kind of surprised Disney hasn't set an example out of it yet.

Until property owners open themselves up more... I wouldn't touch anything copyrighted with a 10 ft pole. They may not have cracked down yet, but I'm sure it'll happen. And it's not worth losing your business over.
 

WildWestDesigns

Active Member
I did a set for my sisters kids nursery... I'd gladly have paid for the art so I could do so, but I couldn't. I'd never sell it, I even felt bad about doing it for a family member... But doing it for free with no proffit is where I drew the line... although I know I should have drew it further and just not done it.

I wouldn't touch anything copyrighted with a 10 ft pole. They may not have cracked down yet, but I'm sure it'll happen. And it's not worth losing your business over.

That 10' pole must have been longer that day.

Why does everyone keep on thinking that the "no profit" actually makes things alright or is an accepted yard stick for doing or not doing something when it comes to someone else's IP? That's what has me confused.

I may not like it, but if one owns something, it's up to that person as to if something is available or not for sale or who is able to produce it. That's the perk of owning something. That is actually what helps drive people on to wanting or not wanting something. If everyone could do it, the value of the IP just goes straight down the ole tube.

With the way that some people are treating their IPs (certainly vastly different then what I grew up with), I'm glad that I came up with something on my own for my kids. Things just aren't the same as they used to be.
 

James Burke

Being a grandpa is more fun than working
If Dr. Seuss would have written his own copyright warning:

"Geisel's work, upon a wall...on a car or bathroom stall. If you print it, we will call. Our defense will take it all".



JB
 

ikarasu

Active Member
That 10' pole must have been longer that day.

Why does everyone keep on thinking that the "no profit" actually makes things alright or is an accepted yard stick for doing or not doing something when it comes to someone else's IP? That's what has me confused.

I actually purchased a set of official wall decals from the company - They didn't stick, were super small and useless. So I took them and blew them up, and made bigger ones on proper material that didn't fall off the wall.

Canada is a bit different than the US. All our schools and wedding photographers had these huge, nonsense contracts stating you weren't allowed to reproduce their work. So you could only buy the prints from them -You'd go into a photo printer store with the negatives... and be refused because professional wedding art belonged to the guy who took the pictures... even though you paid him to do it. So we modernized our copyright - If you purchase a picture or an illustration, you're free to reproduce it providing it's not for commercial use. You can give it to friends, family... back it up, blow it up, you name it.

Does that mean I can buy an image online, then make hundreds around my house / friends houses? I doubt it... Doe sit mean what I did was within the legal limits? It's likely not what the law was intended for... and maybe it's a "Grey area", but I did pay for the decals... Albeit a smaller version. They got their commission for the images... and I got a better quality, bigger version that I made no proffit of off.

Copyright is to protect them from losing money. It's also their to protect them from unauthorized uses, such as someone blowing up winnie the pooh, sticking him on a stripper pole and calling the shop Pooh girls.

That being said... you can contact disney and ask them for permission to use their images for non commercial use. It takes 2-3 months... and I'm not sure how stingy they are about it. The way the copyright system is right now, If they allow someone to do it.. it sets precedent that everyone should be allowed. So its best to error on the side of "no" for everything. I've contacted a couple other organizations... way, way smaller ones, asking if I could reproduce a still for personal use - Out of 3 I contacted 2 said yes, 1 said Something along the lines of We cannot say yes because of the precedent it sets, however they are not against fan made items that are for personal use and non proffit.
 

James Burke

Being a grandpa is more fun than working
Not to worry, they don't have a leg to stand on. I have it on good authority that Dr. Seuss never was a doctor of anything. Should be able to counter-sue on misrepresentation of credentials.

One leg, two legs, three legs, four...a doctor of rhymes, and a whole lot more. It all seems like a hokey farce, until they Sue(ss) your sorry arse. And then you'll plead and cry and beg...'tis you will be the one sans leg.
 

James Burke

Being a grandpa is more fun than working
Abundant thought in each small verse, his greatest goal was "keep it terse". From here on out, so let us too...do the same as he would do.
 
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