Want to know the No. 1 question we get from customers?
“Can you put [insert famous logo] on my T-shirt, sweatshirt, hat, koozie?
The short answer to that question is: I’m sorry, we can’t do that.
Hey, we get it. You want the Nike swoosh on your jacket next to your company logo. You want your company name in the Disney font for your corporate retreat T-shirts.
Those recognizable and iconic logos are, well, recognizable for a reason. They stand out and get noticed. So we understand why you would want to mingle them with your own logo.
But here’s the thing: you don’t own those logos. They are copyrighted and trademarked and well protected by an army of lawyers. [Read more about copyright law: https://www.copyright.gov].
If we were to print someone else’s logo on your order, it would likely be considered a copyright or trademark infringement. And we could both wind up in hot water.
We don’t want that. You don’t want that.
If you feel strongly, you can reach out to the company and ask permission to use the logo. Or, you could consult your attorney.
A couple other items to note when it comes logo’d items:
- We often add company logos to clothing or promotional products that already have a brand logo, such as Carhart or Columbia. The general rule is that your company logo needs to be at least 2 inches away from the apparel logo. Not a problem! We can easily put your logo on the other side or on the sleeve.
- Sometimes you have an awesome jacket, hoodie, or vest from your previous employer and want us to remove the logo. We can’t take the stitches out or sew over the logo of your former company. It would simply ruin the garment.
There is one exception to copyright law: the public domain. Several critical works enter the public domain each year on January 1. This means these works of arts – music, books, films, characters – can be legally shared without permission or fees. As the Center for the Study of the Public Domain points out, putting works into the public domain “helps enable both access to and preservation of cultural materials that might otherwise be lost to history.”
The 2025 list includes works from 1929 and all sound recordings from 1924.
A few highlights include:
- William Faulkner, “The Sound and the Fury”
- Ernest Hemingway, “A Farewell to Arms”
- Virginia Woolf, “A Room of One’s Own”
- John Steinbeck, “Cup of Gold” (Steinbeck’s first novel)
- Agatha Christie, “Seven Dials Mystery”
- A dozen more Mickey Mouse animations (including Mickey’s first talking appearance in The Karnival Kid)
- The cartoon character Popeye
- Musical compositions like “Singin’ in the Rain” and “An American in Paris”
If you’re interested in using an older piece of art in one of your designs, check to see if it’s in the public domain. If so, you would be free to use it without copyright restrictions. Check out this list of resources from The Public Domain Review to help you search for items that might be in the public domain.
Check out our website or give us a call at (843) 764-0740 today!
Updated: June 15th, 2026