MARPPLE Create your own custom

Guideline

Marpple is a community built on respect and recognition of artists. Marpple's Copyright Guidelines provide guidance for customers in designing custom products.

Marpple.com respects the intellectual property rights of others, and we expect our users to do the same. We do not have an opportunity to prescreen every design that is submitted to our site for sale, so occasionally, user may inadvertently or deliberately submit and display content that breaches the Marpple Terms & Conditions for art submissions. If you make sure that all the works you upload consist of your very own, original ideas and are not infringing on the intellectual property or publicity rights of another, you will help us foster the supportive and creative environment that is Marpple. AND, besides being counter to all that Marpple stands for, stealing other people’s work and passing it off as your own is against the law.

I hope you agree to not use Marpple.com's service to create any material that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive of another's privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, or that infringes on any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights of any third party.

There are several international treaties that relate to intellectual property, but the laws are not uniform across the world. However, generally speaking,

COPYRIGHT law protects the expression of an original idea recorded in a tangible form, such as artwork in the form of photographs or paintings and literary works in the form of poems or stories.

TRADEMARK law protects the use of words, symbols, designs or logos that identify and distinguish a source of goods.

PUBLICITY RIGHTS protect an individual’s name, image and likeness. Basically this means you can’t use someone else’s identity, to your commercial advantage, without their consent.

A Note on Fair Use

You might be able to incorporate someone else's copyright or trademark into your own work, if you do it in such a way that that is considered "fair use" or in such a way that qualifies as another permissible use. However, please be aware that “fair use” typically applies in limited circumstances and isn’t the same as “freedom of speech”. Quite frankly “fair use” is a difficult concept, even for the experts, and the scope of “fair use” is different in different countries. So even if you think you’ve created a work covered by “fair use” or another permissible use, you should talk to an attorney prior to using it in connection with the Redbubble service. While some uses might appear “fair” or permissible to you, we ask that you understand that Marpple must act in accordance with its Notice and Takedown procedure when a report has been received. Additionally, certain works may be taken down without a specific report being received if we are otherwise alerted or aware of potential infringement issues.

Ultimately, you take full responsibility for the works you upload and display on Marpple. This is reflected in the Marpple Terms & Conditions. Use of the Marpple website indicates continued acceptance of this Agreement.

We love to print designs that :

Use language and images appropriate for adults and children of all ages
Create a sense of community and are not likely to offend individuals or groups
Support intellectual property rights by using authorized images and content, including those owned or legally authorized to be used by the customer

We will not print designs that :

Violate the intellectual property rights of others.
Encourage violence or hate against individuals or groups
Attack, harass, or defame others based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, disability, national origin, or sexual identity
Promote, feature, or encourage the use of hard drugs (i.e. other than marijuana)
Feature explicit sex acts or frontal nudity of a non-artistic or health/medical nature
Include sexually suggestive images or text involving children (including nudity)
Promote, feature, or encourage underage drinking or marijuana use by minors

Intellectual Property Q&A

What is Intellectual Property?

Intellectual property rights protect individuals from the unauthorized use of original content by others.
We do not want your design to be jeopardized in any way, so please ensure the material you use for a product is your own or that you have documented permission to use material from others.
Marpple does not endorse the use of stolen material, and will immediately take down any design and product that infringes on Intellectual Property rights.
What are some examples of protected material?

You may face infringement charges if you use protected material which includes, but is not limited to: logos, images associated with companies, sports teams, brands, music labels, television shows, and films.
How can I protect something I created?

We suggest filing for Intellectual Property protection, including copyright or trademarks that can protect your material or content.
How do I know if my work, designs or content are copyrightable or trademarkable?

According to the United States Department of Commerce, your Marpple product designs must be "sufficiently original" to be eligible for copyright, and "sufficiently distinguishable" to be eligible for trademark protection.
If I am inspired by someone else’s design, Can I use it?

You can use someone else’s design if you have documented permission from the owner to use that design. Alternatively, you can create your own design, but it cannot be substantially or misleadingly similar to other copyrighted or trademarked designs.
Duplicating or copying another design may result in an infringement case against you, the termination of your store, and a suspension of your Marpple account.
How do I report a Trademark infringement?

Please contact us : info@marpple.com However, please note Marpple is not in a position to adjudicate disputes. In cases of alleged infringement, we may take down a store at our discretion and refund all orders in those design.