17 Cartoon Expressions of Taylor Swift — Posing in pink sunglasses and purple clothes speak now Posing in a “Not A Lot Going On At the Moment” T-shirt, the dress is stamped on the Amazon page for the 24-piece cupcake topper set. “Our Singer cake decorations are made from high quality food grade cardstock,” the description says. “You can apply with confidence!'' The $12.99 birthday party set by wgzftrys, a brand headquartered in Shen, Guangdong Province, China, is one of hundreds of Swift products available on Amazon, and is one of the hundreds of Swift products available on Amazon. Some bear names and likenesses, others use “TS” or a generic Taylor-ish image of a young blonde woman.
Most of them are illegal pirated copies, music industry officials say, contributing to international intellectual property violations that cost clothing, electronics, toys and sporting goods companies billions of dollars a year. It is said to be a form. In 2023, U.S. Border Protection and Customs Enforcement seized nearly $2.8 billion in pirated goods shipped from multiple countries, most notably China, Turkey, and Canada. Jeff JampolThe CEO of Jam Inc., which manages properties such as The Doors, Janis Joplin and Jefferson Airplane, says his lawyers send “dozens” of complaints each month to suspected bootleggers in various emails. He said he continues to issue cease and desist orders. On the commerce site and other of his web pages, every $1 million in annual T-shirt sales costs the artist approximately $20,000 to his $50,000.
“Nobody knows how much money we'll lose,” he says. steve culver, president of Dreamer Media, a Nashville merchandising company that works with Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Melissa Etheridge, and more. “It's very easy to start an Amazon store. Even if it gets shut down, you just start it up again.”
Representatives for Swift and her label Republic Records did not respond to requests for comment for this article as she is preparing to release a new album. tortured poet section, But music merchandise companies have been battling this type of online piracy for years, and say the problem is getting worse. In 2021, Global Merchandising Services cited Motörhead's rampant trademark infringement and counterfeiting as a company that “does not adopt a normal trade name and instead appears to have been made up.” A lawsuit was filed against 278 companies. According to the complaint, these online stores sell counterfeit T-shirts and other products, and each seller “is likely to and has caused confusion, error, and deception by consumers.” That's what it means.
“It's a game of whack-a-mole that I play every day,” he says. barry drinkwater, executive chairman of a 15-year-old merchandiser that sells products from Guns N' Roses, Iron Maiden, Niall Horan and more. He estimates the company issues “hundreds of thousands” of takedown notices a year, adding: “All we can do is stay on top of things and throw some dollars at them.” .
Swift's popularity is so huge that companies around the world are using her name, likeness, and song titles to offer everything from Royal Caribbean International Cruises for Swift to “tailgating” donuts to flashing two middle fingers. Swift is used to market and sell products of all sizes. Check out her 1,000+ Swift-themed products on handmade retailer Etsy, and her T-shirts on eBay. “Etsy definitely sells pirated and unlicensed stuff,” says a representative for a major artist. “But are you going to go after the guy who makes the necklace?” No, you don't want to be that guy. ”
The imitation Swift brand products sold on Amazon, including pillows, socks, pantyhose, and keychains, are clearly different from those sold at her official store. Her set of 14-piece friendship bracelets on sale for $12.98 from GOIPKO lists several of her albums and “I❤️TS.” The “Tay Tay Cheerleader Girlfriend Costume” for women is sold by Mokkin for $32.99 and is marked with the initials “TS.” A knit hat with the Nirvana logo (not the Nirvana name) sold by a China-based company costs $9.99, and purple “Best Gaga Ever” socks from Chinese store ZJXHPO cost $14.99.
Some of these products brazenly use the artist's name or likeness, while others are more obscure. Intellectual property lawyer regarding T-shirts that say “It's Me Hi I'm the Birthday Girl It's Me” Michael N. Cohen “I'm quoting Taylor Swift's lyrics, but they've been altered, so are they transformative enough?” Probably. ” A Swift representative can send a takedown notice, in which case Amazon can answer the question, and in the case of a lawsuit, a jury can decide.
(Several companies selling these Swift products on Amazon did not respond to email requests for interviews, but one seller responded, “Sorry,” and another said, “I'm sorry. We're not interested in that.”
Amazon declined an interview request, but a representative cited intellectual property policies for sellers that prohibit infringing on the rights of “brands or other rights owners” and advise them to consult an attorney. . Amazon has algorithms that detect unauthorized or illegal products posted by sellers, especially images of T-shirts that look like Taylor Swift and include words that are somewhat reminiscent of Taylor Swift lyrics. If the product is ambiguous, such as a product that has been removed, it may take time to detect and delete it. her song. Since 2020, Amazon has spent $1.2 billion and hired 15,000 people to fight counterfeit products and fraud on its site, according to the company, despite the company's overall sales growth. , the number of “valid infringement notices filed by brands” has decreased by 30%. Amazon's anti-counterfeiting division is responsible for taking down “malicious accounts,” according to the company's website.
Jean-Paul said bootlegging of retail apparel has been on the rise over the past 15 years, in contrast to another problem: unauthorized T-shirts sold in concert parking lots. During this time, his 3D printers became more sophisticated, allowing him to print on demand for industries. “One of the barriers to entry into the apparel industry is, 'You have to have five designs and four colors for men and women in extra-small, small, medium, large, and extra-large.' It’s a place to keep it,” he says. “Now, using Print on Demand, he can create 5,000 different designs in 182 colors. If someone orders a pink extra size of this style, he just prints it. ”
As Motörhead's lawsuit alleges, pirated merchandise is rampant on many retail sites, including “fake e-commerce storefronts” set up by counterfeiters to match the artist's official website. While reputable retailers like Amazon allow artists to file takedown notices, Cohen says it helps if artists trademark their names first. “Whatever platform it is, they will do their own formal review and decide whether to remove it or not,” Cohen said. “That's why submission is so important. It proves legitimacy. Amazon and platforms like that want to know, 'Do you have a registration number?'
In the United States, solo artists and bands have “trademark rights” to their names and likenesses, so they can send cease-and-desist letters and sue unauthorized merchandisers. In other areas, the process is even more complex. “You can own rights in one country, but you cannot own rights in another country.” douglas masters, a Chicago intellectual property attorney. “It's a big world.” And even for artists who aggressively pursue international copyright infringers, “sometimes it's hard to find people,” Masters added.
That's why KISS bassist Gene Simmons contacts his management company almost every other day to report infringers of the band's trademarked products. “Gene is always online, and he comes up with more ideas than anyone,” he says. doc mage, band manager. “Sure it's a big problem. We go after them. We have a team of lawyers. It's just stealing.”
