Can I Print This? Copyright Law and More

GetBold wants You to Know Your Rights

When we use the word “custom” we mean unique to you. The whole idea of this type of expression is that you be able to place it on your person. We are all about protecting you. Whether you decide that Silkscreen printing, embroidery, or applique is the best way, we have an expert that will help you make it yours.

We’ve been helping people with their customized clothing ideas for many years. During that time, we’ve learned a thing or two about how the Canadian government protects intellectual property. The laws protect your ideas as well as other people’s. Whether you are a business owner, an entrepreneurial innovator, an investor, a designer, or a researcher, the Canadian government vigilantly governs your right to protect your property.

If you could see into the future, you’d understand how important your ideas are, and how important it is that they be different than everyone else’s. It is what makes you an individual. When you come up with something new, it feels good and you learn something new.

Any intellectual property, or “intangible” assets, should be considered a trademark of your goods and services. It should be protected. So, we want to make sure that you understand that when we work with you, we’ll be looking out for you in that way. Not just for you, but also for our other client’s ideas.

The Canadian Trademarks Database is a great place to find out if anything has been filed or registered. If you’re creating a new t-shirt idea, the first thing to do is to make sure it is all yours, because that is your reputation, your brand.

We also suggest that there is intellectual property that is significant enough for you to go through the process of submitting applications for a patent, a trademark, a registration for copyright, or even an industrial design patent.

Simply put, “copyright” means “the right to copy.” It represents the sole right to produce or reproduce any work or a substantial part of it, in any form, including pictures, videos, books, songs, paintings, software, and even podcasts and blogs.

You may find that there are already many ideas that are protected, so be vigilant. We make sure that the rights of individuals and companies are protected regarding the content placed on our custom garments. Some of these rights, mainly Third-Party Rights, can get sort of confusing. Third-Party Rights consider the rights of any other party under any patent, trademark, service mark, copyright, trade secret, confidential information or other intellectual property. It is important to know how to avoid copyright infringement.

The author or creator owns the rights to the work and can decide if and how others may use that creation. Some things to consider would be:

• Use caution: Do the research if it is not your original work, even if it has no copyright symbol. Look for the license and permissions before you use it.

• Use a search engine: search for your idea online, this is a great way to start looking for the warning flags. Search for marks or identifications. However, for intellectual property to be protected in Canada, it does not need to be marked with a notice of copyright

• Read the Rules: This is usually in the form of a license. Many creators do want you to use their creations for a fee. 

• Don’t believe what you hear: Get your information from an authority. A good place to start is the CIPO (Canadian Copyrights Database). Also, a reverse image search engine built by Idée Inc. can tell you where else an image appears on the web.

If you are interested in learning more about protecting your idea or avoiding any infringements, GetBold is here to help and has this experience as well.

You can also contact the Copyright Policy Branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage, a department of the Government promoting access to copyright information, legislation, regulations and processes governing copyright.

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Telephone: 1-819-997-0055
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