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Figuring out which images you can and cannot use in a custom or personalised design isn’t always straightforward - this brief guide will hopefully help you to work out if your chosen image is suitable for use.
The information that follows is provided as guidance only, and is written with regards to copyright law in the United Kingdom. If your image was created in a country other than the United Kingdom, then different copyright laws may apply to the image. While our design team will do their best to ensure that submissions are suitable for use, liability and responsibility for checking permissions and use cases for images lie with you, the customer.
Any orders refunded due to the images being in breach of copyright and/or trademark will be subject to an administration fee.
Copyright is a law that protects the created work of a person and/or company. Copyright prevents people from duplicating, creating adaptations or distributing copies of certain bodies of work including, but not limited to:
Here are some examples of the kinds of images that are not allowed on our products due to copyright:
The badges, crests, kits, players and stadiums are all protected properties of the individual clubs that they belong to. Using these as the main focus of your order would not be allowed under copyright law, however if you were - for example - using a selfie that you have taken from inside a stadium or next to a player, this would be acceptable.
The logos, bottles and packaging are all protected properties of the individual companies that they belong to. Using these as the main focus of your order would not be allowed under copyright law, however if you were - for example - using a selfie of you holding or drinking from a bottle or glass with a logo on it, this would be acceptable.
Cartoon characters from comic books, TV shows, movies and streaming services are all protected properties of the individual companies that they belong to. Using these as the main focus of your order would not be allowed under copyright law, however if you were - for example - using a photograph you have taken of people who had the characters on their clothing, this would be acceptable.
Images, screenshots or characters taken from TV shows, movies and streaming services are all protected properties of the individual companies that they belong to. Using these as the main focus of your order would not be allowed under copyright law, however if you were - for example - using a photograph you have taken of people who were watching a show on television, this would be acceptable.
Photographs of famous people are all protected properties of either the individual that they belong to, the photographer who created the image, or the company who published the image. Using them as the main focus of your order would not be allowed under copyright law, however if you were - for example - using a selfie that you have taken next to your favourite celebrity, this would be acceptable.
If you are the person that created the image(s) or took the photograph you wish to use, in most cases, you own the copyright and can use the work however you please.
However, this isn’t always the case. If the work you have created includes any part of someone else’s work, it would infringe on that person's copyright. Also, if for example you created the image on behalf of someone or something else, that person may own the copyright and not you. In both of these cases, you would need explicit permission from the copyright holder to use their work.
If your image has been created for caricature, pastiche or as a parody, you may be able to use a copyrighted work without permission. Please see the gov.uk page on exceptions to copyright for further information.
Copyrighted works can be licensed for use from the creator. This is often for a price, and the terms of a license can vary from creator to creator. Be sure to check with the owner of the work what the limitations of your license are. Licenses may allow you to make a single copy, thousands of copies, or as many as you like as long as it isn’t being sold for profit.
While adaptations, alterations and compositions are not allowed, there are exceptions for works that are altered significantly or incidental inclusions - for example, someone else’s work appears in, but is not the main subject of, a photograph you have taken (e.g. a selfie that you have taken, that also contains a copyrighted brand or a famous person).
