Copyright, trademark, or what? for t-shirt wording?

Question

I've read the answers to previous type questions, but mine is a little different.

What do I need to do to protect a fictitious (spoof) name of something , about 7 to 10 words long, that will be on a t shirt?

This is just an example of something *similar* to what I would have:

"State of Montbanana Department of Apes and Chimps"
"...don't slip on appeal"

Answer 1

Trademarks can be names of products or services, logos, slogans, packaging and even sounds and smells. In essence, a trademark can be almost anything that is used to identify a particular product or service. Registering a trademark grants the owner exclusive rights to the mark within the specified industry.

Of course, it's necessary to research the mark comprehensively prior to filing to ensure that there is no possibility of infringing upon another party.

To register a trademark, contact either your Secretary of State for a State trademark or the US Patent & Trademark Office for a Federal trademark.

If you are only conducting business in one state, then a State trademark is most appropriate. If you conduct business in at least 2 states OR between the US & any other country, you can file for a Federal trademark.

Hope that helps! I wish you much success & happiness in all your ventures!

Answer 2

The real question is: is it worth the time and effort and money to track down and prosecute people who steal your stuff? From people who have been in the t shirt biz, their answer is no - just keep coming up with new designs, and assume it's only a matter of time till you're knocked off.

Answer 3

as soon as you create it, legally, it is copyrighted to you, however, proving it was yours if it was stolen would be a costly court case and you may lose..you need to register it with the library of congress, i think there is a 35 dollar fee...then, it's all yours.