What are the regulations on selling animated characters, I wanted to write a pattern for Gooseberry from strawberry shortcake (some of you might remember from the 80s) But I see a lot of these copywrited characters being sold as patterns…I assumed you’d have to buy rights to the character-?
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Trademarked characters yes, you have to get the trademark owners permission. The trademark owner has to vigorously defend their trademark or they might lose it. That is why Disney goes after infringers so intensely
Ribblr and other such sites won’t take these kinds of patterns down unless the owner files a DCMA request to them to remove it
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Good to know!
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You should do a Purple Pie Man too!
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It is why I refuse to sell designs anywhere. I hate to spend 24/7 on the internet chasing the thieves down
No site will protect you from thieves. You have to protect yourself. I have no time for that nonsense
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I have one of the OG figurines of him, I have no idea if I’d recreate him remotely well!
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I tried to find info online to help. Found this.
Q:
How can I be sure I’m not infringing on someone else’s copyright?
If you’re using common crafting techniques and methods to express an idea that is
original with you, and you did not use someone else’s work as the inspiration for your work, your work of authorship is probably not infringing.
However, if you used someone else’s work as the inspiration for your work, or if you copy some aspect of someone else’s work, or if you depict someone’s name or image in your work, you need to think about whether you have infringed someone else’s copyright, trademark, or other rights.
Interact with and be inspired by other artists, authors, and designers, but execute your vision in your own way. When in doubt, it is always a good idea to check with the person whose work inspired you or whose work you copied to make sure that you are not infringing someone else’s rights.
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Oh my goodness! Thank you!!
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I wouldn’t do it myself. Think about it from your own patterns. You work hard on them and someone sells them on Amazon. Yes, it happens. 
This is a sad reality.
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I like this perspective! I definitely wouldn’t want anyone to steal my designs. I have been a fan of strawberry shortcake since I was a child, I see a lot of disney designs, and I have come across a few strawberry shortcake patterns aswell, so being the fan I am of gooseberry in particular I wasn’t sure what the regulations, or etiquette was on this situation! Thank you for your feedback 
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A lot of people rely on not being caught over doing something that is legally ok.
The best way is to find out who owns the rights to a character or if it is public domain.
Public domain characters like the original winnie the pooh are available for all to use, however the Disney version still belongs to disney and licenses are needed to legally produce items.
Some rights owners are ok with small businesses using their IP, like the game Stardew Valley. The creator has said he is happy for people to make and sell items from his IP as long as you are not a big corporation. Sometimes it is worth just asking the IP owner.
Unfortunately, in many cases, licensing is way too expensive so unless characters are free to use, your best sticking to your own creations.
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