Selling items made from fabric

[KaraBoo]

Is this legal? I know some designers have copyrighted fabric and you can't sell anything made from them. But what if I don't know whose fabric I have? Or what if I just bought it off a table in JoAnn's or Hancock's? What if it is just scraps of unknown origin I won in an ebay auction?

I have started a stock of purses and mini doll sleeping pockets and I'd like to sell them on etsy. I'm having a tough time finding info on this copyright stuff. Anyone have any tips or could point me in the right direction?

Thanks!

[nancy926]

Some fabric does have limitations on how you can use it...I am thinking of Heather Ross' Lightning Bugs series, and some fabric put out by Munki Munki. Online it will say "personal use only" or some such.

I think if you buy it secondhand or scraps, it's difficult to know. I doubt you would be prosecuted for making, say, a skirt and trying to sell it on Etsy. OTOH if you had yards and yards of something and were making multiple items out of it, it's possible someone might contact you.

There may be rules on Etsy as to what you can sell as far as copyrighted fabric.

[E.V. Lowi]

There is a lot of mis-information about copyrights and fabrics and I have been recently educated to the facts I would like to share with you. Here is a site that has good information that should clear up this topic-

http://www.tabberone.com/Trademarks/trademarks.html
http://www.tabberone.com/Trademarks/...irstSale.shtml


It looks like the First Sale doctrine allows the use of the fabric by the consumer, for any purpose, including commercial use. The owner of the copyrighted item cannot control the product after the first sale. That does not mean that you can copy the fabric and print more, though or copy the artwork and print it on paper or any other medium because you don't purchase the original art, only the fabric on which it is printed.==Hope this helps.

[KaraBoo]

Thank you!

I have a yard here and a yard there of designer fabrics and scraps of Japanese imports. The imports are the ones I have NO idea who designed.

I'm making bags for kids and purses for adults out of the designer fabrics and little doll sleeping pockets out of the Japanese fabrics. I want to sell those on etsy.

I REALLY thank you for the links!!!!

[E.V. Lowi]

Originally Posted by KaraBoo

Thank you!

I have a yard here and a yard there of designer fabrics and scraps of Japanese imports. The imports are the ones I have NO idea who designed.

I'm making bags for kids and purses for adults out of the designer fabrics and little doll sleeping pockets out of the Japanese fabrics. I want to sell those on etsy.

I REALLY thank you for the links!!!!

You are so very welcome! :

Best wishes to you on your endeavor!

[brightonwoman]

I was just going to : EV--you paid for the trademark when you bought the fabric, so if you make it into something else and sell it again, you are selling your handiwork, not the trademark...
Hope that makes sense.