3-Step Copyright Clearance Process For Using Fan-Art in Your Projects

Ripped from the headlines: “Billie Eilish Found Stealing Anime Artwork on T-Shirts, Hoodies, Other Merch”.  Often times, celebrities get caught in the copyright violation trap when they willfully or unknowingly infringed on the copyright of another by not getting the proper clearance for use of copyrighted materials.

In the case of Billie Eilish, she partnered with an apparel company who copied anime fan-art without permission or license for use on clothing and other merchandise. This blatant copying, not only violated the artist’s rights in his artwork but that of the company which owns the rights to the anime characters – what a mess! This all could have been avoided by using a 3-step fan-art clearance process:

1. Identify the artist who drew the fan-art – he holds the copyright in his creation

2. Identify the company which owns the copyright in the characters

3. Negotiate a licensing deal with both the artist and the owner of the characters

By following these steps, you can avoid a copyright infringement lawsuit and possibly owing millions in damages.  If you need help clearing artwork or pictures for your projects please feel free to contact me at 732-626-6402.