Can I use disney/sesame/nick jr characters to use for selling prints? How do I know which ones are copyrighted

Question

even if I try to edit the picture, is still considered copyrighted?

So, example.. if i want to make an invitation for my friend's daughter with elmo in it, i can get in trouble for it?

Answer 1

Further to what's written above and your additional question - there's a popular misunderstanding that editing an image will defy copyright law. The truth is, if you try to sell an image that represents or mimics a copyrighted image, you are still infringing.

Many of these popular images are not only copyrighted but Trademarked - and those laws have less gray area and more lawyers at their disposal.

Don't even go there - copyright law is designed to protect the intellectual property of artists, and Trademark laws protect corporations.

Answer 2

No, unfortunatly all of these are copyrighted. In fact almost all the characters, names and logos you see in everyday life, and are recognisable, are copyrighted.
Nowadays, because of the vast amounts of money companies spend investing in market recognition, no-one wants someone outside the companies to make money off thier designs or characters, so they're copyrighted.

For both the US and UK, the copyright lasts for 70 years after the last remaining author has died on artistic works (inlcuding characters), but not sound recordings. Sound recordings have a different set of laws.

A piece of work that isn't copyrighted has had the author give up the copyright for one reason or another, and some now have a 'creative commons' license, which means it can be shared, if the author wants.
More info on creative commons can be found at http://wiki.creativecommons.org/FAQ

Answer 3

Always assume everything is copyrighted. Anything that has the name of a major corporations, such as Disney, is copyrighted.