What's the story behind the PolyDragon©?
What about the infinity-heart and other images?
What's the deal with all this talk of copyright?
What kind of material are the T-Shirts made of?
What if I want a different kind of shirt?
I have a great idea for a shirt. How can I get one?
Can I pay by check or money order?
How much is shipping?
What is your return policy?
What forms of payment do you accept?
What is your privacy policy?
Can I link back to you on my own website or blog? / Do you do Link Exchanges?
Can I use images from your site?
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What's the story behind the polydragon©?
The PolyDragon© is not a public domain graphic. The Infinity-Heart is probably the most well known poly graphic, but before that came the parrot (as in, Polly wanna cracker?). Eventually, someone got creative and made the infinity-heart out of 2 parrots. Then, a man by the name of Michael Guminski came up with an idea of replacing the parrots with dragons, since he didn't much care for the parrot symbol. He eventually settled on a tribal version of dragons (which have nothing to do with polyamory, they just look cool), and gave that copyright to Villain Tees who offered the original version with uncrossed tails as a t-shirt design. A few years later, the copyright was also offered to Poly Tees, who could provide the graphic on a wider variety of apparel, but who did not compete with Villain Tees directly by not offering that graphic on the black t-shirt that Villain Tees did. About a year or so after that, Poly Tees adapted the graphic to show the dragons with crossed tails and currently holds the copyright for that design.
This graphic requires permission to use and the copyright covers all derivatives, which means it cannot be used or reproduced in alternative colors, sizes, or any other variation.
What about the infinity heart and other graphics? Are those copyrighted too or can I just use them?
All graphics, images, and designs in the Poly Tees store are copyrighted because they were created exclusively for use for Poly Tees. This means that even the infinity-heart is a copyrighted version. The concept of a heart symbol and an infinity symbol cannot be copyrighted, even the concept of a heart and an infinity put together in this way, because the "heart" and "infinity" fall under the "common symbols" exemption. So anyone can make their own version of a heart and infinity symbol. But the stylistic version of an infinity heart can be copyrighted and the stylistic version used here can be trademarked if the specific version of the symbol is associated with the company, such as a company logo (for example, you can't copyright or trademark the letter "M", but McDonald's trademarked their version of the "M" as a logo so no one can use any version of an "M" that looks too much like the McDonald's "M"). There are many different versions of hearts and infinity symbols floating around on the internet, many of which the creators don't mind if you use. But this version, in all its colors, textures, sizes, and derivatives, is copyrighted and cannot be used without permission. It especially can not be used on products for sale, whether we offer that particular product or not, and it cannot be used on products that you created yourself in a one-off shop or other product producer to avoid paying us or our costs.
What's the deal with all this talk of copyright?
There are a lot of misconceptions about copyright law. First of all, all images, works of art, creative content, etc. are copyrighted the moment they exist. If it is a photograph, it is copyrighted as soon as the picture is taken. If it is a story or written material, it is copyrighted the moment it is put on paper or on a digital file. All the graphics used in the Poly Tees store were copyrighted the moment our graphic artists hit "save" on their computers. That is a right that US law grants to content producers automatically. Nothing has to be done to secure a copyright, although there are things that can be done to improve one's chances in court.
Once something exists, it is copyrighted, and no one is allowed to use it without the creator's or copyright holder's permission, unless the copyright holder specifically releases it into the public domain or under one of the Creative Commons licenses. If you use a copyrighted image without permission, you may be asked to stop using the image. The person who notifies you of your copyright violation does not have to be the owner of the copyrighted image. This is something that not many people understand. Anyone can notify anyone else about a copyright violation. The person doing the notifying just has to believe, in good faith, that a copyright violation has occurred, and does not have to be the owner or show proof of any kind.
The person notified is then responsible for removing the copyrighted image and ceasing use of the copyrighted image immediately. If the notice comes in the form of an official DMCA take-down notice, both the copyright violator and the internet service provider or host will both be held liable for damages if a DMCA take-down notice is ignored and the use of the copyright notice does not cease immediately. To put it simply, if you use a copyrighted image, anyone can tell you that you are violating the law and anyone can report you to whatever service you're using where the violation is taking place (i.e. Facebook, YouTube, CafePress, your ISP, etc.) When you get reported, your host is obligated by law to remove the image for you in whatever way they deem acceptable. They could simply delete the picture, or they could suspend your account. There is no loophole and no way around it. The image has to be removed first, and arguing about it in court can happen later. Any delay or refusal to comply with an official DMCA takedown notice or to follow the proper protocols of DMCA law is a violation of of copyright law with no exceptions.
Poly Tees will usually try to politely request that you stop using one of our graphics before we resort to official DMCA take-down notices or notifying your host. We understand that most people simply don't understand copyright law and that using our graphics is a form of flattery - a way to say how much someone liked it. We do not wish to be bad guys or hurt the very community we are trying to sell to. But we also are a for-profit business and this is how we make our living. The unauthorized use of our graphics hurts real people who are part of this very community. Please extend to us the same courtesy we are extending to you and do not use our graphics without permission. We have many options for people to use our graphics with permission and we will work with you to customize graphics for your use - at no charge! We aren't trying to be mean, we are trying to protect our business according to the law and put food on our tables, just like most of you.
What kind of material are the T-shirts made of?
All our T-shirts are lightweight 100% cotton. Our Camisoles, Raglans and Babydoll shirts are made of 100% pre-shrunk super soft cotton. Our Bikini Panties are made of 100% baby rib cotton, combed for softness and comfort with elastic band around waist and leg openings. Our Thongs are made of 95% cotton and 5% spandex from Bella. Our Polo Shirts are made of 100% cotton. Material may vary on Custom Shirts if you request any other style of apparel. This information will be included in our Price Quote.
We will only store data required for your transaction. This data will be passed on to our partners only if it is needed to process your order. All personal data is kept confidential.
We save your data only for processing your order. No data will be transmitted to and/or saved by third-parties. We will not use your data for advertising purposes without your express consent. You can withdraw consent at any time.
We protect your data by using SSL (*Secure Socket Layer) to secure all online data transmissions.
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