Can You Sell T-Shirts With Cars on Them?

Can You Sell T-Shirts With Cars on Them?

Cars look cool on t-shirts. Whether you’re trying to find a new design for your business or looking to make team attire, you might want to put a specific car on the front or back as a finishing touch. You might wonder – can you legally sell these shirts, or will there be issues down the line?

Although you can put a blank car on a shirt, you typically cannot add any logos or company identifiers. These could lead to trouble down the line due to copyright and trademark issues if you make a decent sum of money by selling these clothes.

Want to learn more about selling t-shirts with cars on them? You’ve come to the right place. Read on to learn more about the specifications of selling clothes adorned with vehicles. There’s a bit to cover, so let’s jump right in.

What Are the Restrictions for Shirts With Cars on Them?

You are allowed to sell shirts with cars on them. You can use the image of the car, a person driving it, and any other creative additions you feel like complete your shirt. However, you cannot use the company’s logo on your clothes without express permission and rights.

You cannot use the company logo because:

  • You might be using their established name to sell your non-established products
  • You will deal with copyright infringement, which can mean fees and a business shutdown

These can be a big deal, especially to a business just starting.

What if you want to use a car logo on your shirt and feel like it won’t be complete without it? You’ll need to get permission at this point. Let’s discuss this process next.

How Do You Get Permission for Logos?

If you are in love with a brand of car and feel like your shirt won’t be complete without their logo, you’ll need to get permission before you can use the image on your clothes. There are a few steps you should follow to get permission from the company that owns the imag

To get permission, you should do the following:

  1. Figure out who owns the logo or who is in charge of handing out permission
  2. Contact them and explain yourself and your intentions
  3. Make any necessary payments to access the rights to the logo
  4. Wait for written permission to arrive from the company

They could say yes to your request, or they could say no and refuse to allow you to use their name.

If the process works, you can put the logo on clothes and sell them. Note that you will have to repeat this with every brand. If they say no, you could try a different brand or leave the logo off altogether. There are ways to work around this even if the company refuses to let you use their name.

What Could Happen If You Sell Shirts With Car Logos?

If you sell shirts with car logos and no permission, there are a few things that could happen. It’s critical to keep these repercussions in mind so you stay as prepared as possible for your small business.

If you don’t get permission to sell logos on your shirt but proceed anyway, the following things might happen:

  • Your designs could be taken down if sold online
  • You could face a trademark infringement lawsuit
  • You might have to pay the company the money you earned with their logo

These can be detrimental to anyone trying to get their shirt business off the ground and running.

At the end of the day, it’s better to be safe than sorry. Ensure you have permission for any logo you use, and avoid putting it on the shirt if you don’t. Copyright is a big deal in our day and age. Adhering to the law will serve your business better than breaking it.

Conclusion

Many rules come with selling t-shirts, and car designs are no different. Although you can use the image of a vehicle, you cannot use the logo without their permission. If you use it without the go-ahead, you could find yourself with a lawsuit on your hands or a closed business.

If you want to stay clear of any copyright issues, we recommend using a commercially approved graphic design tool with t-shirt templates. Our recommendation is Placeit.net because it’s fully commercially approved, so anything you make on their website can be sold without copyright issues. Check out their pre-made t-shirt templates here.

We hope this information was helpful! It can be confusing and frustrating to deal with all the legal issues with choosing a clothes design. We hope this information can make the process a little easier so you can expand your business as much as possible.